Shattered Pretenses
by IronicEnding
Summary: What would happen if the parents that died, lived? Two people who had met so many years ago are reunited once again. Could a lone cold hearted mercenary still fall in love and be comforted by the warmth of his Angel or will destiny work against them?
1. Missing in My Life

AN: Hi guys. First things first. No, i am not stopping any of my other Final Fantasy related works, so no worries there. I did however, recieve huge inspiration to write this fiction, so i just had to do it. The updates will be coming in a timely manner, so i shouldnt keep you all waiting to long for what happens next. As for how long this fiction will be? Im not really sure yet. It could be as long as 'Better Late Than Never' or it could be significantly shorter. It all depends on the responce i get.

A HUGE thanks goes to Jayliyah85 for helping me create the title along with some structure for the story. This really would have been impossible without her help.

Also, before i forget, I am working on a Final Fantasy 7 (cloti) joint project. It is featured under Ash Ai's site, who is my favorite cloti writer and comes highly reccomended from me. I should also mention mention Carie Valentine who has an exceptional writing style with unusual plots for our favorite ff8 cast.

A few things you need to know abotu this story. Its kinda a whatif semi-AUish fiction. Here, both parents of Squall and Rinoa are all alive. Squall and Rinoa have not met before as well. I will be taking various events from the game, which you will read below, and i hope i can clear up any confusion. Thanks for reading guys, and as always, enjoy!

* * *

Being the commander frankly just sucked sometimes. No one ever wants to look at you the same way as before. Then again people have to want to look at you in the first place for that little rant to hold any validity to it.

The chestnut haired leader leaned back in his chair just enough to look up upon the ceiling and search for answers in that vast pool of nothingness. His eyes wandered around looking for some point for him to focus on, but there would be no salvation for him there. It felt like today would be just like any other and every other day here at the academy.

Actually the past week had been worse than normal. The only person he could at least tolerate long enough to have a conversation with was away on a mission. It couldn't be helped though. Due to a few recent fatal altercations on some rather dangerous missions, they were shorthanded on instructors around here in Balamb.

Normally this really would be an issue for the Headmaster to deal with, being a non-combat related problem, but many of these instructors were SeeDs and thus also full time mercenaries. Not to mention the instructors being sent over would be coming from Galbadia Garden.

That meant they would require the services of 'honor guards' in order to guarantee their safety while crossing into the Balamb area. It had nothing to do with those running the Galbadia Garden as they had long ago been forced to submit to the laws established by Garden, but the continent itself was another matter all together.

Their current leader wasn't such a difficult fellow. But the General of the Galbadian army was another issue entirely. That war-mongering snobbish prick kept looking for different reasons for attacking neutral cities, and especially the long time enemy it found in Esthar.

It amazed Squall to no end how someone who appeared to take so much pleasure in pure and raw bloodlust could possibly have found a wife in a woman as stunning or as beautiful as Julia….Julia….

What was her maiden name anyways? That too appears to have been smudged over in the Galbadian records. It was probably to protect some underhanded dealings in his wife's past. It would be easy enough for a man in his position to do anyways.

Squall brushed back his hair as he continued to lean back, his mind now fully devoted to the Caraway family. It wasn't like there was much else to do or think about at the moment.

He smirked to himself as Squall realized that in truth, he didn't hold complete contempt for the Galbadian General. The man was actually quite honorable once you get to know him. Not to mention that his true passion seemed to be related to protecting his family, even if that meant he had to use overzealous means in which to do so.

The sleek black leather chair began to make a creaking noise as Squall rocked back and forth while sitting in it as these memories were being recalled. Yes he had worked with the General before on just one occasion.

It appears General Caraway could hardly risk using men from his own command for a particular risky mission, and the Galbadian Garden was likely to have been compromised by the threat. Trabia Garden was still far too inexperienced in dealing with such a high level mission, leaving the original of the trio of Gardens to take the job.

It was the assassination of a sorceress, the infamous Edea who rose to power with her charm, her looks, and magic to manipulate her way into leadership.

So how did a stoic uncaring rookie of SeeD get assigned a mission to eliminate an all-powerful sorceress after he refused to attend his own graduation ceremony or even take part in his first mission which he deemed would be an utter failure?

Naturally the Headmaster of Balamb Garden wouldn't divulge such details to someone so unworthy, but Squall already had an idea why.

It was definitely related to his lineage. His parents had played a crucial role in the downfall of the last sorceress who quickly rose to power and threatened to conquer the world. That's probably why they were given command of Esthar and treated with so much respect and dignity in that hidden city.

However Squall wasn't going to let his old man beat him to it. Taking down one sorceress would hardly be enough, especially since the one he took out was still just on her way to rising to power. No he needed to take down the all-powerful Ultimcia as well and thus hopefully forever end this damned cycle of women with demonic powers seeking to take over the world.

He didn't join SeeD to be given the opportunity to earn the same honor his parents had. No, he just wanted to get away. He wanted to get away from the lights, the cameras, and the instant popularity wherever he went in town. Squall Leonhart wanted to earn his own way through life and prove he wasn't just a child trying to escape from his father's shadow.

There was however, one advantage to the privileged life that Squall did thoroughly enjoy. And that was the dances. Could he dance? Did he even like to? Hardly. But that didn't mean there wasn't someone he was anxiously waiting to meet with each time.

Sure, he couldn't remember what her name was, or how they had met, or even what she really looked like. None of that mattered because all he needed to remember was that he loved this girl.

Alright, that may be a bit extreme for a twelve year old at the time, but that didn't make his feelings any less valid did it? Did he profess his love for the dark-haired, assuming she had dark hair, beauty back when he was still just approaching his teenage years? Of course not. He needed to grow and experience life a bit more before realizing the affects a young girl had on him when even the most sensual female he meets now a days raises nothing more than mild attraction. Hindsight was always twenty-twenty and thus far easier to analyze.

Squall Leonhart's daydream was quickly shattered to pieces as his assistant commander came blaring into the room as if her heels were on fire. Her face was winded and red forcing her to bend down enough so she could rest her hands upon her knees and pant for a few moments before delivering the urgent news.

Doubting that anything that happened just now could really be as serious as Xu thought, and knowing her ability to over exaggerate even the simplest situation, Squall merely waited behind his desk, though he was sitting forward with his arms folded together. If she indeed did feel the need to just barge into his room without proper notice, then it wouldn't be something he could dismiss altogether.

He didn't say a word as his eyes studied her now recomposed self. Once she was sure she had enough of her breath back in order to provide a full report to the commander, she divulged what information she had.

"Commander!" She somehow managed to perform a pretty standard salute, though it still looked like she would pass out any moment. "Seifer reported in. He and the instructors are being pinned down in Dollet by Galbadian Soldiers. They are under heavy fire and…" She took a few more moments to breathe, not to add any unneeded suspense that wouldn't get across to Squall anyways "And he requires backup."

The only appearance of shock Squall showed was the slight arc of his eyebrow, while mentally he fell of his chair while his mind entered some strange limbo. _'Seifer is asking for help? That arrogant prick is actually in enough trouble to call for backup? This doesn't sound good.'_

No matter how much he referred to Seifer negatively in his mind, Squall did have great respect for his abilities. Truth be told, he was the closest thing to a friend Squall had at Balamb, or anywhere else for that matter. They had a mutual and twisted sense of trust and kinship, a bond formed between men who had been on the battlefield. They'd spilled the same blood on the same mud.

Squall once again leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for but a few moments. By now Xu should have understood all of his little mannerisms and quirks, yet she was still shocked for him to take this news quite so casually.

What the commander was really doing was quickly organizing his thoughts and deciding on the best course of action. He had a reputation for being a man of few words and he saw no reason to go against it.

"I'll go. Take over for me." And that was all that needed to be said. Could he have just as easily sent in a regiment of SeeD to help his people slip out of town? Sure. He could have done that, but then he would still be stuck in this office filling out forms while he could only worry about his deployed men. And like any good commander, he did worry about each and every one of them. That and he had faith in his own abilities. It was other people he had a hard time trusting.

* * *

Dollet was usually such a calm and peaceful town, but the Galbadian Army quickly made light of that situation as they redeployed their troops in this region in order to search for those missing terrorists.

Someone had tipped them off. A group of terrorists who were singling out the Galbadian army had disguised themselves as SeeD instructors in order to pass through. The funny thing was when they first encountered the group of supposed SeeDs, they managed to fight pretty well. Too well for that matter. It was almost like their informant had lied and they really were attacking a bunch of neutral mercenaries.

No matter. There orders were to hunt down and kill them first and ask questions later. What was one more dead enemy of the state anyways?

As good as they were, these SeeD did suffer a few casualties while retreating and dispersing into the town of Dollet in order to hide within the populace. While the army would have no problems attacking this convoy just outside the city, they would suffer severe international consequences for trampling this town once again so soon.

A more tactful plan was needed. One that allowed many of the SeeD instructors enough time to slip out of the city and towards freedom. The problem with the military was they often acted slow and made a lot of noise with their movements. They were ill suited to finding out mercenaries trained to think and act on their own. Then again, the Galbadians were supposed to be after terrorists, not real SeeDs.

A lone girl who was wearing a black ensemble with a tattered light blue feather duster hid in the shadows as she saw a regiment of troops walk by. That familiar costume and goosestep left no doubt in her mind just who was entering Dollet again.

She inched backwards slowly until she was sure that this particular patrol had walked out of sight. _'Damn! What are they doing here? Could they really have tracked me so far? Would Caraway really send that many troops to come after me?_' Her thoughts were interrupted when the back of her heel hit against something that refused to move.

If Rinoa had stayed at her parents' home and learned to be the good little girl they always wanted her to be, the sight that lay behind her would have at least caused her to scream. However Rinoa lived a far rougher life as a freedom fighter and she had seen many dead corpses. This was however, the first time she had ever seen a dead SeeD.

'_I thought these guys were supposed to be invincible. Then again I guess a bomb blast is no respecter of people.'_ A Galbadian tank had accidentally misfired creating a bit of a crater behind her. Of course the people would discover tomorrow that the terrorists had planted a bomb in order to create more havoc. The fact that the bomb was placed in a relatively empty part of town would be entirely overlooked.

Her puppy dog brown eyes carefully studied the dead body of the slender redhead that lay before her. It appeared as if lady luck was in her favor tonight. This would tie in perfectly with her plans. Hopefully no one should notice her little attempt at deception.

Her jet black hair swayed as she turned her head several times to ensure that no soldiers, or more importantly, peeping toms, were looking in her direction. A girl of her…build learned to be watchful of such things and Rinoa had an uncannily good eye for that. All part of being a general's daughter one supposes.

She was able to quickly change into the SeeD clothes that managed to be just a size too large upon her body, but nothing that seemed awkwardly out of place. She tucked her shimmering strands of hair into her hat and was about to walk off as a pang of guilt struck her.

There was no way Rinoa could leave a dead body defiled like that in the streets. She quickly gathered up her old clothes and began dressing up the deceased with them. Rinoa looked around and found a place to lean the body against so that it would be discovered eventually, once daylight struck the area.

In her clothes she found a civilian ID along with a SeeD one. The latter might cause too much trouble, but leaving her civilian card should at least help her family find out what happened.

As helpful as it was, one had to remember that a woman had died here just now. Someone somewhere would soon be grieving the loss of a daughter, the loss of a sister, and maybe most tragically, the loss of a lover.

That is why people like her father must be stopped. The senseless fighting and his intense bloodlust could no longer go unopposed. Her mother was still unable to put an end to her father's tyranny. That meant it was all up to her.

Rinoa closed her eyes and respectfully bowed her head while she muttered a silent prayer asking for the safe passage of this troubled soul.

Why take so much trouble for a complete stranger? Because her death meant that Rinoa might live just a few days longer. It was a precious gift she would never waste. Not after all the fallen comrades she had to known in her life.

Once satisfied with her little funeral, Rinoa tugged her cap down just a little bit to further cover her face from the average person, and stole away into the night to seek refuge in the town.

Many in Dollet were sympathetic to the SeeDs cause. They had liberated them once before and aided them when no one else was even willing to help. This too would play to the young woman's advantage.

Maybe, just maybe if she played her cards right, she could seduce one of their SeeDs just enough to help her sneak out of town.

* * *

It was quite late in the evening by the time Squall made it to the outskirts of Dollet. To the average person it looked like any other sleepy town in the middle of the night, however with his trained eye he could follow the trail of destruction that lay before him.

It would be easy enough to find Seifer. All he would have to do is follow the path of dead Galbadian Soldiers.

And he would to, first thing in the morning. The Galbadians knew they were at too far a disadvantage to hunt anyone in the evening so his SeeDs should all be safe for the night. Right now Squall needed a quiet place to stay and a warm meal to eat.

Sneaking into a quarantined city managed to build up one's appetite.

Squall wasn't a total dunce. He knew he was considered a rather handsome man. After having dozens of idol struck teenage girls follow you around the Garden for an absurd amount to time, the message eventually gets across. Maybe it was the leather jacket with just a hint of fur around the edges? Perhaps it was the scar? Someone told him chicks dig scars. Sadly that someone was his father, but that's another story.

Whatever the reason, he was confident in his abilities to charm his way into a clean bed and a hearty meal. Who knows, maybe he will run into a pretty girl while he's there.

* * *

Somone once told me that if a presenter does a bad job, its because he got poor feedback from his audience. Well you guys dont want me to start writing crud do you? Nah im just kidding, i wouldn't do that. But i would and do appreciate reviews full of your questions, comments, and critiques and general reviews. The more you have to say, the more i can learn what you guys respond to. Thank you for reading and i hope you will indeed take teh time to review. Until next time, take care. :-)  



	2. I found You

AN: thanks for the reviews from the first chapter guys. It was a generally good responce!

For those of you who are wondering, I have NOT lost interest in 'Man's Inhumanity' I am just kind of taking some time to figure out where i am going with that fiction. I frankly don't want to screw it up seeing as it has a bit of potential.

For anyone who likes the Squall/Rinoa dynamic, check out my Full Metal Panic stories. I try to write Squall like Sousuke from that. Rinoa isn't exactly like Kaname but its still scary close. (that and i could use some more responce there.) It would be a big help.

I couldn't make this chapter as descriptive as i usually do, but in exchange it is somewhat longer than what i normall post. I hope you guys enjoy it. As always please review.

Oh, and Don't forget to check out 'Tifa's Clouded Hart Locked in Strife" on Ash Ai's page. My chapter should be released within 5 days or so i think.

* * *

Alright, so he had been a little optimistic in his assessment of the situation. The Galbadians were quite determined in hunting down their targets and eliminating the supposed threat. The area was swamped with soldiers and there seemed to be a disturbance being caused every few blocks. 

The citizens of Dollet could not be happy with the current situation, but it was doubtful that they would engage in conflict against a well trained standing army. Unless…

There had been many reports of Dollet forming various underground resistance networks. It seemed they had finally grown weary of being taken advantage of by the larger and far more destructive nations, so a few rogues decided to take things in their own hands.

That was ultimately foolish. There was no way a ragtag bunch of emotionally driven psychos could possible square off against the Galbadian war machine. They were just needlessly throwing their lives away for a worthless cause.

If that meant the town needed to be taken over and ruled by the enemy, then so be it. It was no concern of Squall. All he cared about was the safety of his own men. There was no real emotional attachment, just the same sense of obligation and concern that came with being put into command position.

The young mercenary had found himself in a rather compromised position however. There seemed to be searches of every household in this town to sniff out any so called terrorists. It was a raping of the privacy these men and women had in their homes as their lives were violated and their motives plundered.

Not to mention it was a thorn in Squall's side. He wouldn't be able to find shelter with any of them in this state. That and well, he shouldn't add to the massive amounts of confusion that was just drenched on these innocent bystanders. Common courtesy had to count for something right?

Now would someone just tell that to Seifer?

The commander had now found himself in a more or less abandoned building near a recent bomb blast. The structure looked worn out with flashes of black signaling it had suffered the residual effects of tank fire, but it still stood up and that was good enough at the moment.

Inside on the first floor, he found a relatively dark room that had only a few windows to offer him the least chance of getting spotted. It was good enough for now, though it did feel like it was getting somewhat cold. No matter, for a well-trained SeeD this was just a minor inconvenience. Well…that and his jacket was rather well insulated. The fur was for more than just show.

Now if only he could find himself a warm meal to eat. A crinkling sound rapidly echoed throughout the small room and caused Squall to freeze in place to listen. Nothing but confidence giving silence ensued.

He would need to be more careful when eating these ready made meal packs. One would have thought that a highly paid well trained organization like the Garden system would be able to see past that flaw in their portable meals.

It was nothing fancy, just a few pre-rationed portions of food kept in water tight packaging. It was too risky to try and use one of the stoves in this building. If a gas line had been damaged during the blast, he ran the risk of destroying the building for the sake of warm food. That and he would be mildly inconvenienced by revealing his position to the enemy.

Cold food again it was. What would his mother say if she found out he was living like this, mission or not.

His mother…CRAP! Squall hadn't called her today like he normally did every week. She must be going frantic wondering what happened to him. Well there was no way he could risk a call given his current situation. He would just need to suffer through an agonizing tongue lashing from her later.

At least she was a far saner person than his father who often proved to be nothing more than an embarrassment. His mom was always so kind, so loving towards him, except whenever he forgot to call. With his father however, he had the exact opposite problem. Laguna continuously tried to get in touch with Squall while he constantly tried to ignore the attempts. Long story short, the two had never really gotten along very well.

These thoughts of his parents left a feeling of longing for someone in Squall's mind. He was seated against a wall with his legs out in front of him, and allowed his head to tilt back far enough so he could identify the ceiling. _'I wonder what the sky looks like right now.'_

He had always been fascinated with space. That majestic blanket of black and blue dotted with shining dots of hope often gave comfort to him when he felt no one else in the world was close enough to care. It was always so easy to forget one had parents that loved him unconditionally, regardless of how far away they were right now.

However right now, there was someone close to him. Someone was very close to him that didn't want Squall to know that they were there. It seemed that in the few moments he let his guard down and let his mind wander, someone was able to sneak up close to him.

'_It's best not to react right now. Judging by their hesitation, they don't know if I am friend or foe. More likely they are concerned if I have noticed their presence or not.' _At the moment he had the upper hand. From the corner of his eye, he could see a dark shadow overlap the lightless night and dance about quietly in just the other room. There was a lack of tact in the movements, suggesting it most likely wasn't a soldier of some type. Even they should be well trained enough to at least know basic sneaking techniques. Hopefully it's just a random citizen who had been foolish enough to go out into the night and was now hiding from the patrols.

Rinoa was quietly muttering to herself while trying to determine just what was in this other room. It looked like it was a person there, but it was hard to see. Whoever they were, they were completely clad in dark clothing, and their hair seemed to cover their face. At least she didn't have to worry about it being one of the enemy troops. They stood out wherever they went and did so in groups.

Whoever this was, he or she was alone.

Her body quickly froze still as ice as she saw the half shadowy form begin to stir from its spot. _'Did they notice me? I was doing a good job hiding too!' _Her troubled mind was quickly put at ease as she saw the black clump morph into the form of a human, a man to be precise. _'Thank Hyne…it's just a guy. But what is he doing out here?' _ It made no sense for a citizen to be out here and there was no way someone like him was a Galbadian soldier.

That just left…..

A SeeD! She had found one!

Rinoa returned to peaking her head through the door just enough to catch another glimpse of the man huddled in the room. He appeared to be lost in thought, staring at the ceiling again and just waiting for the night to pass.

Her soft brown eyes slowly moved away from his face which was half-shrouded in darkness and found their way to a pouch that looked like it held food. _'Hmm, well girl, looks like its time to go to work.'_

Rinoa stood against the wall and began to breathe more steadily as she realized no immediate harm was coming her way. Things would have gone much easier if she just could have seen his face and determine if he looked like the helpful sort or not. No matter, she was a full grown woman and had everything she needed to begin her little game of seduction.

Though…the SeeD uniform did tend to leave a lot to the imagination. These clothes didn't exactly make her feel very sexy at the moment and it was doubtful that someone who worked alongside people wearing similar clothing all day would find it all that attractive. She had to do something…

An idea flashed through her mind as her wit and ingenuity quickly took hold of the situation. She tiptoed away from the room that was stashing the mysterious stranger and found another room within that same building. There she unbuttoned her shirt just enough to reveal a hearty portion of cleavage along with the edges of her black bra_. 'Err…that actually might be hard to explain, and it's a little too exposed for me.'_ Rinoa decided to close up one more button, making things a little bit less obvious but all the more erotic.

However a SeeD wouldn't just walk around like that. It wasn't professional. Quick thinking was once again her savior as she tore off the unclasped buttons, hoping that would be a suitable enough excuse. She quickly followed through by tearing through the sleeves of her SeeD shirt, careful to make sure she didn't rip them at the seams. That would be far to suspicions. All she needed to do now was rip the pants up a little and voila! No man would ever stand a chance.

That only left the question of how was she supposed to make an entrance? A SeeD wouldn't just walk in on someone, and if they recognized the other person as a SeeD there may be some kind of special handshake or something.

Yet another idea flashed through her_. 'I know! I will just pretend I thought I saw him doing some 'hostile' movements and try a quick attack, but stop before realizing it was an ally!'_ As lame as the plan was, it sounded really good in her head.

But attack with what? These thoughts raced through her mind as she made her way back towards him, wondering what she would use as a weapon.

These thoughts were quickly interrupted as she found herself tripping over a stray piece of rubble in the building, and stumbled into the room where the SeeD was otherwise staying.

It was a moment so random, so utterly ridiculous, than even a veteran soldier like Squall never expected that as an entrance.

Rinoa was mildly dazed as her body lay flayed about on the floor, just a few feet away from the dark handsome stranger who barely turned his head to get a look at her. _'No way is someone like her a threat.'_

She looked up blushing a dark crimson red, which was easy to distinguish against her skin as it shimmered in the moonlight that crashed through the room. Her smile was slight but undeniably cute and innocent as her lips were still lightly pressed together in a slight pout. It never occurred to Squall that a girl like her could be the biggest threat of all to someone like him.

"Uh….hi?"

Squall continued to stair at her in mild confusion while taking in her dress. He offered her no help as she picked herself off the floor and patted the dust off of her clothes.

'_Hmm, she doesn't act like it, but it looks like she is one of the SeeDs I'm looking fo-' _His mind froze as his eyes landed on her somewhat exposed chest area. A hazy foggy look began to overcome his face as his mind raced with impure thoughts. _'Baseball! Baseball! Baseball baseball baseball baseball baseball baseball baseball!' _ He had to take his mind off this situation somehow! It just wasn't professional!

However Rinoa had already seen his expression, one that had come her way more often than not. Part of her plan was already successful. All she needed now was a little flirting and he would be hers. Finally, a way out of town!

Giving Squall her best sweet and sexy smile, she raised her hand a twiddled a few fingers in a slight wave "Hey"

'_Baseball! Chocobos! Ifrit! ZELL!' _

Squall coolly allowed his head to tilt back all the way and rest against the wall once more after arriving at the conclusion that she was not a threat to him right now. There were no weapons on her person and she lacked an aura of danger about her. He was relatively safe.

Though the Commander of Balamb couldn't see it, Rinoa's otherwise alluring eyes were now squinting as a fiery blaze ignited her soul. _'He….He…ignored me? Who the hell does he think he is? That cold hip and cool attitude won't work on me! I don't care if he has a really sexy scar across his face or that he looks really handsome or the fact that he has the most amazing striking blue eyes….'_

It was now someone else's turn to repeat baseball over and over in her head.

Plan A seemed to fail. A different tactic would be needed. Her eyes continued to eye the partially opened contents of food between them as she watched him just nibble on the cold meal.

"Um…listen. I lost my survival gear during the attack and-" Her grumbling stomach finished the rest of the story. She really was hungry right now.

Squall continued to feign disinterest with the situation though she was one of the instructors he was supposed to find, and he should act a little bit more concerned. "Help yourself."

With yet another smile on her face and a glimmer in her eye, Rinoa quickly built together a smile pile of dry twigs and leaves. While she wasn't exactly the 'princess' her comrades had named her, she wouldn't eat a cold meal if it could be avoided. She closed her eyes briefly and imagined a fire spell in her mind before aiming her hand at the would be fireplace, however before she could caste it, her hand was abruptly slapped away and her spell stopped.

"What are you stupid? The gas lines could be broken! You could have lit this whole place on fire!" Why me? Why do I always get stuck with the air headed bimbos? What happened to standards in the SeeD program?

Rinoa looked at him with an intense desire to kill. Her aura had rapidly changed into something wicked and scary. Though it was kind of cute to see her face scrunch up like that while she pouted her lips and…

Scratch that, commanders don't think in terms of cute!

"You're the idiot! We are in freaking Dollet! Most of the town doesn't have real gas lines but wood powered stoves you dunce! I should report you to the commander for making such a stupid mistake! Geeze!" Please…fall for the bluff. Fall for the bluff….If there is a Hyne; he will fall for the bluff.

'The hell? Tell the commander?' Squall quickly studied his own appearance yet again before he understood what was going on. He was so used to just wearing these clothes that he forgot that people wouldn't recognize his rank without his SeeD uniform. It wasn't like he displayed his ID badge either.

Though the girl did have a point. He had forgotten to do his homework on the town. Squall just figured the place should have advanced that far by now. _'Hmm, she doesn't know who I am. This could be interesting.'_

"No please. Don't tell the Commander!" How will this spunky girl play this off?

"Hmm, you better be nice. Me and the Commander are really good friends." Yikes! Overbluff! Overbluff!

"Forgive me!" It didn't sound like much of an apology with his calm emotionless voice. _'I actually wouldn't mind being your really good friend….NO! I mean uh…bad move. IF you met up with the real commander, you're bluff would have been exposed.'_

"Well alright, but only if you share this meal here. I am getting kind of hungry .Be nice and I may just let you off the hook." Hehe, Got him in my traps. He never stood a chance.

"Yes mam, whatever you say." Got her in my traps. She never stood a chance.

Without much else being said, the two managed to eat a lukewarm meal split between them. It wasn't much, but enough to sustain their good spirits till the next rationing.

It was only after they had finished eating did Rinoa realize a crisp cool wind had been blowing through the room and that she was still rather exposed. Once again her eyes fell on Squall though this time they lingered mostly on that jacket of his.

Her trance was quickly interrupted when she saw him get up and unzip his coat before taking it off and handing it over to her without saying a word. That was strange. All he was wearing underneath was a simple white T-shirt that covered up part of a necklace. What a coincidence…

"Hey, won't you get cold without the jacket? You're almost as exposed as I am now."

'_Damnit! Does she have to constantly point that out? A guy can only hold himself back so much…'_

"It is not a problem." Yes it is a problem! It's freaking cold out here!

Rinoa scrunched up her face as she felt once again she was not being taken too seriously. There was only one real way to solve this little situation. _'Well he is a SeeD and I heard the ones from Balamb are trained to be very gentlemanly. Something to do with their Commander I think. Oh well, so long as he gets me out of town safely.'_

Now Rinoa stood up with Squall's jacket in her hand and slowly walked over to the almost sleeping soldier before sitting down next to him, cuddling up against him and using his jacket as a very small blanket that they would share.

Squall's entire body tensed at the feel of her closeness against him. It was unnerving! It was immoral! It was inappropriate! It was the greatest feeling on the planet!

She could sense his hesitation and nervousness about him and mumbled only slightly before nestling her head just under his neck. 'Just as I thought. A gentleman from Balamb.'

"Be nice, or I'll tell the Commander."

Yes, but now who could the Commander tell?

* * *

Did it have that rushed feelign to anyone else? I toyed around with it for a while and couldn't get it to go away. So my story is, that its a rushed feeling because they are in a battlefield and i am actualyl using a super awesome writer's secret...or something like that. Anyways, as always, comments, questions and reviews are appreciated, and Don't forget to quickly check the forums on my profile. I have questions that i would like opinions on! Until next time, Take Care :-)  



	3. Late Night Romance

Hey Guys. Truthfully i didn't mean to write another chapter for this story yet, but I was somewhat inspired by this particular scene, and the one that will follow it in the next chapter. A word of caution. It is not a terribly exciting scene and has somewhat suggestive themes. If that bothers you, my reccomendation would be to wait until the release of the next chapter.

For everyone else, please enjoy. Remember that i do not own the game or these characters.

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A single finger traced an imaginary line across the simple white T-shirt worn by the man who was 'pinned' up against her. Under any other circumstances the scene taking place before them that night would have been terribly romantic with a highly suggestive theme, however a city under siege was hardly romantic.

Then again the night seems to have cooled the fires that stirred up the heart of the invading soldiers as they too were determined to need reset and reduce shifts for the evening. There was calmness that drifted through the air which one would be hard pressed to find elsewhere.

Rinoa didn't realize just how the two of them could 'accidentally' find themselves holding each other like that. It was one thing to be huddled up against one another with a jacket covering them both for warmth, but somehow through the night their hands found a life of their own. Honest, the heart and mind had nothing to do with it. It was all the hand's fault.

Their hands had decided to snake around one another, moving them across that fine line that signaled the difference between huddling and snuggling. It was a crucial matter, one that could be cause for severe embarrassment should her partner in crime ever wake up to find himself in that situation.

'_Hmmphf. Soldier boy here probably wouldn't see anything too odd about it.'_ That was almost true enough. Anytime they shared a few words together while he was awake, that man had managed to keep a completely calm and neutral face despite their closeness. He didn't seem like the type that would swing the other way, but if he did it would be a tragic loss for her entire gender.

Well, as long as this mysterious SeeD was a sleep, it wouldn't hurt for Rinoa to take advantage of this oh so precious situation she found herself in. She couldn't help it. A young healthy woman of her age should be allowed to be interested in her boys. Sadly her past often denied her such luxuries, but moments like this almost made up for it. Well, not really but if she kept telling that to herself, it eventually might.

It was rather shocking to her to find out her arms was completely wrapped around him while her head used his shoulder as a willing pillow. It was almost a fair trade since he rested his chin upon her head and seemed to respond with a hug of sorts.

'_Maybe its fate trying to pull us together. He is kind of cute._' Yeah, and maybe Chocobos were breed from chickens and ostriches.

Her hands, which mind you were acting completely on their own without approval from the rest of her body, decided to search his frame. She could almost see with her hands as she found well defined abs and an overall powerful upper body. Whoever this was, he certainly wasn't a mere child.

Her hands had found odd lines too. Scars. Many of them. While many felt like they healed from superficial wounds, a few suggested that the longevity of his life had been in question several times.

What was she doing? This…this was wrong. All that was needed was a way to get out of town. It was dangerous to become attached to someone like this. In fact, it was impossible. All they did was share a few words, split some food, and provide a little warmth. It was hardly worth thinking further about.

'_Calm down girl. It's just the hormones talking.'_ That did make sense given her age. _'Remember, he thinks you're a SeeD so it could never really work out anyways.'_ Men in his position were not quick to trust someone who had deceived them from the start.

But then why did this feel so right? How come for the first time in weeks did Rinoa truly feel safe, that nothing could possibly harm her right now even though there was no clear escape from this room or even a weapon to offer protection?

Rinoa moved her head away from the comfort his neck seemed to offer so she could look at him with her deep brown eyes.

"Just who are you?"

"Squall. Squall Leonhart." Though it had been quiet before, the silence was deafening now. Her mind completely shut down with that simple response. She couldn't speak, she couldn't act. She just sat there holding him tightly as if he was a teddy bear she had grown up with all her life.

Then again, he didn't exactly ask her to let go.

"I…uh…How long were you awake?" Dear god. He didn't sound the least bit groggy. Even specialists like himself can't just wake up in the middle of the night without any hint of exhaustion on them….can they?

"I never fell asleep." He knew she hadn't either. No matter how many times the young girl closed her eyes and pretended to be calm, her pulse was extremely erratic. It must have to do with being in a dangerous situation like this. She must be a new instructor. Strange, he was a seasoned veteran and his pulse was anything but steady. Perhaps he should have a medical examiner take a look at him once they escape.

"So you mean you knew that just now I was…" She gulped. Caught red-handed. Come to think of it, she still hadn't retracted her hands. Then again neither had he.

Squall looked over slyly at Rinoa, finding the way her dark black hair was falling around her eyes to be rather…distracting. Yes. Cute was not a word he would use. Adorable was also unacceptable.

Though the way she scrunched up her nose in worry a little was cute. That is if someone else was talking about. As mentioned earlier, Squall doesn't think in those terms. Gah, but that stupid word just wouldn't pop out of his head.

Actually it did almost leave him, but only to be replaced by 'sexy'. That was far more dangerous. Suddenly, cute was acceptable.

"I suppose eye-for-an-eye doesn't apply in these situations, do they?" It was hard not to sound a little hopeful right now. Somewhere, Hamarabi was smiling from his grave.

Rinoa suddenly brushed back a little as her face turned red with embarrassment, and a little shame given her actions. Then again, the fact remained that neither of them had decided to fully let go of one another. It was only to keep each other warm. Yes, that's it. If there was warm weather, they wouldn't be so close to each other. They wouldn't even be on the same side of the room. Yep, that's it alright. Weather…

"I…uhh…pervert" Rinoa stuck her nose out a little bit in a playful gesture. Something about the smile that grew upon Squall's face told her he was just joking. Truth was, if he was one of the more unseemly fighters she had come across, there wasn't much she could do to stop him given his background and training.

"By the way, my name is Rinoa. Rinoa Ca—" She stopped mid-sentence. Her cover was almost blown. "Rinoa Heartily."

While Rinoa found Squall's smile to be warm and safe, Squall found hers to be more than just a little alluring. Needless to say, it surprised him to no end when he felt her head once again rest upon his shoulder which in turn allowed him to rest his chin upon her.

"So why didn't you stop me from…that." It was better to clear the air now. No sense in hiding things from one ano—Oh right. The whole identity thing.

"How did you end up here?" Somehow avoiding the question fit his personality.

"Well when the town became bombarded by the Galbaddians, we were caught off guard and had to scatter. It was decided we should break off and meet again later once reinforcements arrived." Please sound plausible, please sound plausible! "I was able to hide for a while, but was caught near an explosion which kind of tore up my clothes."

It was at this point Squall realized that something else was also pressed up against him. Correction, two somethings.

Squalls face froze in shock as his mouth started to sputter utter nonsense. If there was even a little bit lighter protruding from the window, a clear blush would be seen upon his face.

"Squall?" She leaned in further to examine his face. Needless to say this only caused his eyes to grow wider than previously though possible. "Am I boring you?" Their noses were just inches apart and threatening to get closer.

This is bad. Very very bad.

Correction, this is very good.

"I…er…um….no. Please continue." Heh, double meaning anyone?

Rinoa continued to ramble on about something or the other while Squall fought very hard to keep his emotions under control. Something was off about this girl. She was very…different. None before had been able to even dent his outer shell, and some of those girls had been far more scandalous than their father's would ever want to know.

But Rinoa…all that was needed was a little bit of teasing and the sound of her voice and his thoughts immediately began to turn to mush. No matter. So long as he could fake his resilience, there should not be a problem.

"…and that's when I stumbled in and found you. Not very graceful for a Seed, am I?"

Perhaps making a jest out of her inadequacies would distract him from thinking just how unqualified she was at being a mercenary. Kind of like pointing out the obvious so it wouldn't be so….obvious.

Too bad her attempts at deception weren't exactly working.

'_Most of that doesn't seem like SeeD protocol. I know Seifer can be pretty relaxed about the rules, but that didn't sound like his style.'_

"Whatever."

That answer simply wasn't enough for Rinoa, but she wouldn't push her luck in the issue. If he hadn't willingly revealed any faults in her story, then there was no need for her to follow up on it.

"What about you? I don't remember anyone who looked like you in our group." Dear god. Lying, deception. This game of cat and mouse came all too easily for her.

"I'm the reinforcements." He typically never said anything, but when he did it seemed to be restricted to three words. This needed to change.

"You mean you call in the reinforcements?" Her hands began to take a life of its own again as she increased the pressure a little in her hold. Technically this meant he was here to save her.

Squall was not deaf to that little action. "I er…No."

Rinoa tilted her head up just slightly, letting her eyelashes flutter against his exposed neck. She felt him shudder at that light touch. Good, it seemed her gender would be blessed by being able to claim him. "You are one of a group that got separated?"

"No" Damn. One-word responses get tiring. Ironic isn't it.

"You're….it?" She didn't mean to sound a little surprised over the fact. How strong could this person possibly be? Maybe he just excelled in black ops.

"Mm hmm" It was hard to fight back the urge to brag, but that would require him to reveal his identity. It didn't make sense. He never wanted to show off before. This was strange. Maybe it was the way her finger kept mindlessly strolling about his chest like that.

If there ever was a time for eye-for-an-eye to be the law of the land…

"You must be really strong then." His physique was sure sign enough of that

"Whatever." Situation abnormal. Limits being reached. Backup may be needed…urgently

Rinoa couldn't help but sound a little sweet in her plea. That little girl affect would be just enough. "So does that mean you will help me? You'll save me won't you?"

Squall looked as if his heart had stopped beating though in truth it had sped up. "I err…um…the…I"

A cough should clear the air. "Of course." Rinoa smiled happily and allowed her nose to bury itself into the nook of his neck causing Squall to react in ways that may give her the wrong message.

Well it wasn't the wrong message, just poorly timed and way to early. He had only just learned her name.

'_This…this feels right. I can't explain it. I feel like I know him somehow. I just…I can't describe it.'_ She had long ago stopped pretending to be flirting.

'_I think I could like this girl' _

Statistically, he had to like some girl eventually.

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So i hope that was acceptable. The page break function on the edit/preview function of FF seems to be disabled for the moment so i used a more crude solution. I personally liked this chapter. It was short and sweet. A little romantic in my opinion. But what really matters to me is what you guys think, so please go ahead and leave me a review with your questions, comments, and general reviews.

I have been wondering how big a role Seifer should play in this fiction. That and if he should be matched up with Quistis which seems to be the norm. Time, and maybe your input, will tell.

Thanks again guys, and until next time, take care.


	4. First Release

AN: Hi guys. Sorry it has been so long, but here i am finally updating. I have been out of the country for a few weeks and then spending time to catch up while jet lagged and sick. Proffessors dont realyl care how long or why you are out of the country so ive been having a tough time of it.

I kind of wrote this on the fly, so please excuse any grammer mistakes that you may come across here.

Also, if you are wondering about Man's Inhumanity, ishould be updating that next. I finally have a better idea of where i want the next chapter to go so it should be pretty interesesting. I hope you guys enjoy the chapter, and as alway,s please leave a review.

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Squall was stuck in a half-daze of sleep. The back of his mind kept screaming that it was a dangerous place for a SeeD to be. A man of his experience was supposed to know that completely losing all sense for his environment would only end up killing him. However he couldn't help it. Holding her like that, smelling her hair while she continued to mindlessly embrace him throughout the night put him into a rest so peaceful that he couldn't remember the last time he slept so well.

The only thing that kept him half awake was the clanging going on in the background. His senses were slow to pick up the noise and thus his lazy responses were even further delayed.

"Hehehe. Looks like we found us a pretty doll to play with, haven't we boys." The hell? Were there other people around last night? A Doll? Maybe he was still dreaming.

"Yes she will do nicely. And take a look at that. Took the liberty of partially declothing herself already. Very Sexy." That was a different voice. From the sound of it all, a pervert. Who would want to look at a doll that way?

"I'm sure HQ won't mind if we play with one of the terrorists before we ship her off for interrogation. Maybe they will let us do that too." That voice sounded deeper and gruffer. No doubt he was the one in charge. Wait…terrorists….dolls….HQ…..what the hell?

It was only when the muffled whimpers of a girl being held against her will did Squall realize the lack of weight pressed against him. The lingering aroma that captivated him last night was just beginning to wear off as his eyes fully opened and revealed to him that it was morning.

Before him he saw a sight that quite enraged his senses. Those men…two in blue armor and one in red….were going to die. He was going to kill them slowly and with great pleasure. Them, their comrades, and most of their family would have to share their fate for two foolish mistakes those Galbadian soldiers made today.

First they tried to act inappropriately with a woman.

Second they didn't kill him when they had the chance.

Sometimes it paid not to walk around in a SeeD uniform. Before him he saw the same girl from last night gagged and bond while the leader in red held her arms high above her. The other two lackeys grinned mischievously as they waited to sample their prize.

No amount of pain was too good for them now. Perhaps they deserve to know what it means to be eaten alive by a feral animal. No, that was not hurtful enough.

At least it looked as if he woke up just in time before they could...

'_I must think clearly. If I overact and lose my cool, even the most skilled warrior would be vulnerable.'_ Funny, he was one of the most skilled warriors.

With uncanny speed assisted with a Haste spell, Squall's form was suddenly no longer sitting against the wall of that same room, but instead had him standing behind the piggish group with his trusty gunblade drawn. Perhaps this would be the best way for all parties involved.

"What are the odds of just three soldiers against one specially skilled mercenary?" His voice was strong and tough but with a hint of playfulness added to it. He liked to toy with his prey.

Four heads snapped in his direction as the soldiers were surprised to see the otherwise sleeping man now looking at them armed with an unusual weapon. No they did in fact recognize it. It was a gunblade. Those were only granted to SeeD at a certain level and above. He wasn't one of their would be terrorists but a real SeeD.

Already they knew they were screwed.

Rinoa's eyes pleaded with Squall's to save her as tears began to stream down her cheek. He just had to save her. He would do it right? She was supposed to be one of his SeeDs. He promised last night that he would keep her safe!

The leader of the group spoke up, trying not to sound afraid of the opponent in front of his men. At least his armor didn't start clanking when his knees started shaking. "We're here to capture all the terrorists dressed as SeeDs along with all the SeeDs accompanying them. She's coming with-"

"She is not a SeeD and she is not going anywhere with you." Rinoa's eyes further widened with shock. This was not good. He knew she had lied to him. Or maybe, just maybe he was bluffing so they would let her go.

"What are you talking about? She is wearing a SeeD uniform…mostly." That particular soldier with a lecherous smile would be the first to die. Scratch that. He would be last. That soldier would have to watch his comrades slowly being hacked away as he awaited a similar fate.

"It was obviously stolen off of a dead comrade. She's just a villager looking to get out of town and thought dressing like this would convince me to help. Besides, I thought you guys were only on the lookout for terrorists?"

'_Damnit! He knows! And he probably thinks I killed the other one.'_ It was now hard to tell with whom Rinoa would suffer a harsher fate. Karma sure was a pain at times.

"Uh…that is…um…." Their leader stuttered. These were the men who were supposed to go after 'terrorists?'

"I'll make a bargain with you. I fancy the girl. You see this?" From within his coat pocket, Squall pulled out a necklace with a unique symbol hanging around it. It resembled a lion…yet didn't.

"Is that made of …?"

"Mithril. Now I don't want to have to kill you since no one paid for a hit, but I will if I have to. You give me the girl; you get the expensive piece of metal. Everyone's happy. Deal?"

A few moments of silence passed between the confused group as even Rinoa had stopped her momentary whimpering from being held captive like that. She knew what mithril was and how valuable a possession it was. Maybe he didn't suspect the worst from her. Maybe he would save her…Maybe…

"Deal." The one dressed in red roughly shoved his captive towards the intruder. Rinoa fell into Squall's chest though with his weapon drawn with one hand and the necklace in the other, he wasn't able to embrace her and offer the comfort he so desperately wanted her to feel.

The transaction was almost done. He tossed the necklace towards the goons who grinned happily upon receiving their new treasure. The day wasn't a total loss after all. Money would last longer than a cheap romp with a captive girl anyways. Everyone won.

Wrong.

The Galbadian soldiers quickly turned around and began their exit from the room. If a real SeeD was willing to bargain with them, then they weren't going to stick around long enough to aggravate him further.

Now Squall was finally able to comfort the grief stricken girl who was crying against his shoulder. As if cursed, he could feel each and every one of her tears fall upon his coat like a deadly acid that burned its way through with her sorrow. She was hurt, traumatized, and there would be hell to pay.

"Did you really think we could just trade and everything would go back to normal?" The three soldiers who were walking away froze in their tracks, to afraid to even turn around.

Squall's anger only increased exponentially as he continued to hear Rinoa sniffle against him. They would pay for making her feel like that. It didn't matter right now who she really was or what she was doing here. Now was the time for vengeance.

"You take what's mine and think you could simply walk away? Galbadian soldiers are dumber than I thought." Squall's arms fell away from Rinoa as she was moved aside so he could grab his gunblade now with both hands.

Some people found it dirty to kill from behind. Others thought it an act of cowardice. For a SeeD, nothing was unacceptable if it meant survival. For Squall, no method could be too cruel.

"First…Release." It looked like a tornado had descended upon him as a whirl of wind kicked around him. The air itself seemed to fill with more energy as a heavy burden of power was pushed against his prey. Squall's coat was waving rapidly in the windstorm that suddenly came about indoors as his victims started to visually shake.

Squall's eyes suddenly glazed over an aquatic blue as his revolver gunblade suddenly decided to take on a new form. It morphed into an illogical and horribly unaerodynamic shape of twisted blue metal that almost looked like a toy, but was in fact a deadly weapon.

In a deep and deadly voice dripping with Malice, he spoke words that could haunt a man till the end of their days. "They call me the Lion of Winhill, the Protector of Balamb, The Son of Esthar, and the Commander of Garden. They call me, Squall Leonhart."

In movements that Rinoa's eyes could not track, Squall had quickly relieved the enemy in charge of his head and various other limbs as they were sent flying out of the room. The lackey to the right only had moments to register the new spray of blood that now splattered against his uniform only to realize that same sword now protruded from his own belly and was quickly making its way up. That particular man was aptly cut down to size.

And then there was one. One who had only recently stopped with his pervertic glances and lecherous smiles to Rinoa. This was the one who would die last. He would be allowed to turn around. He would be allowed to stare into those near soulless blue eyes of the one who so eagerly and willingly killed his comrades. He would feel every moment of pain as his body was no longer burdened with the weight arms added. His legs would no longer feel the need to lift up and carry a torso tirelessly against gravity each and every day. And finally his poor excuse for a brain would never have to be confined within the sad excuse for a man any longer.

All of this and not a drop of blood was left on Squall or the one whose innocence he sought to protect.

As his flared up anger slowly began to dilute, the squall that had risen up indoors quietly died down leaving a normal looking SeeD with his regular weapon once again. He turned towards Rinoa who continued to look at him wide-eyed throughout the entire ordeal. Somehow she had freed her bound hands and mouth while he dealt with her would be abusers.

Perhaps she now thought him a monster.

When Squall found the body of a petite but shapely woman pressed against him and continuing to cry, his brief worries were quickly released. Not many who had seen him that way believed him to be anything more than a demon..

"Why…why did you save me if you knew I wasn't really a…."

Squall quietly put a finger to hush the girl's words. While his quick massacre didn't leave time for any of his victims to scream, he certainly didn't need this girl's hysterics alerting unwanted persons of their presence.

'_Because…I like you…maybe even…'_

"I like you. You are my friend." That was something Squall never had many of.

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On the other side of the city, making his way out with the collected band of scattered Seeds was one of the men that Squall did indeed call friend. Kind of. Well not so much friend but rather the person he could most tolerate without killing.

His blond hair began to weave into his green eyes as the remnants of a windstorm fluttered away. It was all too obvious to Seifer that his commander had also been in that fateful city, and was probably still there.

With a smirk on his face, he knew that Squall would be mad he came all this way only to find out that Seifer had gathered most of the remaining instructors and had led them out in the middle of the night. It was an ingenious plan. One so well thought out and dedicated that it must have been given to him by someone else. A woman most likely.

No matter. Their objective was almost reached as the Seeds came closer and closer to the transport ships to take them home. One thing did weigh heavily on his mind however. If Squall had to release his first form, something dangerous must have approached. That or someone had really ticked him off.

Again, no matter.

Puberty boy was pretty much a man now. He should be able to handle things on his own.

All that remained was to find him a girlfriend. It shouldn't be too hard. Seifer could guess his tastes.

Come to think of it, he knew the perfect girl for Squall. All he had to do was find her number...

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So what do you guys think? I hope you like it. I also encourage people to check out my Full Metal Panic stories. Mostly because i really like that series but im not getting a lot of responce. More reviews in stories means i write more:-)

as always, longer is better. One of my favorite things to do is to respond to reviews so please leave one. Thanks for being patient and for reading. Until next time, take care:-)


	5. Half Lies

AN: Not my best work, but its something after taking a few weeks to post an update. Think of this as more of a transition chapter to help people move past the previous little plot arc and into the next plot arc where i dwelve deeper into this whole idea of shattered pretenses. I do not own ff8 or its characters.

As always, reviews are appreciated.

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"So let me get this straight." A tall leggy blond sat cross legged on a chair while thrusting an uncomfortable glare towards the two who had earned her scrutiny. The three sat confined in her office explaining a rather unusual situation which for some reason fell upon the vice-commander of the garden to resolve. How the headmaster had convinced her to take that position was beyond her despite her well developed….intellect

The two figures began to twitch as their eyes darted to different sides of the room as their story would be analyzed by one who was famous for her brains and interrogation skills. The whip was more than just a visual aid after all.

Then again it didn't necessarily take the brightest person to figure out that the story this two misfits had provided was an obvious farce. Some people just don't put any effort into providing a good cover-up story. What was far more embarrassing was the fact a SeeD should be able to handle situations like this with ease. Then again, this one wasn't exactly known for his discrete and tactful nature.

"Basically you found her in the city while Seifer was trying to rescue the instructors. You fought off some soldiers and brought her back when you were unable to find Seifer seeing as he had already left. Have I covered everything so far?" Quistis leaned forward and folded her hands together in front of her mouth while one eyebrow arched with curiosity. Seriously…how stupid do people think blondes are? Didn't they realize it was just the best disguise of them all?

"Correct" Ah, at least Squall can be trusted to remain a man of few words.

"And she's a SeeD right?" Quistis had to monitor Squall carefully as he answered. His emotions were well hidden from most but she did have the best track record of being able to predict and read him like a book.

"Correct." Hmm, the broken record tactic. Looks like Quistis will have to change things up a bit. Funny, why isn't the other one saying anything. Frankly the dark haired woman sitting in the other chair across Quistis' desk looks like she could pass out at any moment. That or vomit furiously. Either would be a pain to deal with really. Hopefully she will just pass out.

"So why isn't there any paperwork on her and no records of her in the SeeD databases?" It was a glorious idea brought about by yours truly. Quistis had found great value in connecting the mainframe computers of the various Gardens in order to share data, military plans and moves, as well as experiments at quick speeds. In a way it was almost like a giant net of sorts. Hmm, perhaps the better analogy would be a web. Her little idea created a life changing shift in the way the Gardens handled its business and made misunderstandings between them diminish quickly. It was too bad such an idea was limited to purely academic and military related uses.

Squall shifted uncomfortably in his chair as he could feel the weight of her glances upon him. It was funny how he thought having Quistis around to be his second in command would be a blessing. Right now he would have given anything to have someone like Zell or Selphie to handle this matter. Outsmarting Quistis was like being more arrogant than Seifer. It just isn't going to happen.

"Well…her transfer papers got lost when they got shipped with all the others." Don't break eye contact. Remember, women can smell the fear emanating from you for miles and miles away.

Quistis didn't move any part of her body but her eyes darted towards the young woman who was also supposed to be answering some of these questions. Yet Squall was doing all of the talking. This could not be good.

"And the reason there are no records of a 'Rinoa Heartily' in the SeeD databases is because…?" It was moments like these that Quistis wished she could bring back some of the techniques used by the inquisition. Sometimes trying to get Squall to open up and just say what needed to be said could be a time consuming process. The frail one over there however looked ripe for the picking.

Alright, stay cool. Its time to sound suave, confident…and plausible. "I found her picture in the SeeD database and though she looked….uh…..well…." This would be the worst possible time to gulp, so naturally he had to do just that. "I tried to see if there were any more in her file cause well…."

The petite blond was a master of analyzing people and judging their reactions. Something about the response Rinoa gave to that statement amazed her. She seemed a little offended and yet at the same time her face screamed 'hell yeah!'. Wait…was Squall using her precious creation to browse for pictures of young attractive women!? That's absurd! Who could possible ever consider using such sophisticated technology to satisfy such a primal urge!?!? No matter. There is no way something like that could catch on.

Don't worry. It should all be ok. Quistis had gone through gender sensitivity training just like all other SeeD. Just be careful with wording. "Squall do you mean you….ya know…to…"

"What? No! I would never do anything like that! I just wanted to see if she was more than a pretty face and deleted the file by accident! Honest!" Hmm, the addition of the word honest at the end of his little rant was all Quistis needed to know in order to decide these two were lying.

Sighing Quistis realized that trying to get any straight answers out of him would just leave her frazzled. Technically Squall was her boss and he doesn't need to respond to her questions but these unusual events wouldn't get past the headmaster unnoticed. "Ms. Heartily is it? Care to tell me what's really gong on?"

Rinoa started to slowly ring her hands together as she tried to come up with an answer that would help. Why couldn't Quistis be more like Squall? You know, a guy who was easily distracted and would buy terrible excuses if enough physical distraction was provided.

"Uh...the thing is…err…I'm really a…." Damn it. Damn it all. If her so called hero over here couldn't think of a reasonable excuse to explain this situation, there was no way she would be able to fool Quistis either. Looks like it was time to tell them the truth and face the consequences afterwards. SeeDs wouldn't punish her for tricking them like this…right?

"The truth is she is the daughter of a high ranking general who has been targeted for several terrorist attacks. Her father sought me out and hired me personally for a mission to extract her from the city and provide her with an alternate identity where she would go unnoticed. Since the mission has an unknown amount of time to completion, it was decided if she would pretend to be a SeeD so she would be constantly surrounded by guards and my supervision." Both women turned a stunned eye to Squall as he spouted off the 'mission details' in a systematic manner that played true to his personality and style.

'_Holy crap! He knows who I am!? How much does he really know. Will he…will he eventually turn me in to my father then…'_ The answer to the questions which stormed through Rinoa's mind all had obvious answers but it didn't stop her worries nonetheless.

Quistis was becoming more and more tired with the situation and let her head fall forward to collide with that of her desk. Alright, it was true Squall's story seemed like it could be true enough, but there were still a few holes in it.

"Then why wasn't an official request put in? And since when did you start taking missions again without the headmaster's approval?" Assignments that requested their top ranking SeeDs all needed Headmaster Cid's thumbs up. They would trust no one else to decide if a mission was worth risking the lives of the best of the best Garden had to offer.

"I had met the general on a prior mission. He said he trusted my judgment and my abilities and wanted me to take on this assignment as a special favor. The general is an honorable man who helped me so I felt indebted to him." It all sounded so natural as it came out of Squall. Maybe that was why Rinoa was nearly hyperventilating to the shocking news.

'_That bastard! He was working for my father the whole time!? He didn't come into town as reinforcements? After all that seduction he was the one who had fooled me? That…that meany! GAH!!!!' _Some of her thoughts were too vulgar to repeat even in her own mind.

With a curious expression upon her face, Quistis stood up from her chair and walked towards the glass pane behind her where she was offered a view of the rear of Balamb Garden. It was pretty late in the evening leaving a mist of serenity to surround the grounds as a peaceful feeling overtook the otherwise active military institution. It created that optimal environment to think. "And why doesn't the headmaster know anything about this?"

"Because nothing was signed. No money was transacted. It's technically not a mission. She is here on my supervision and at my expense."

Quistis turned around to give Squall a soft look to reward his good natured heart. The scarred warrior never had many friends or people he could talk to, but whenever he felt indebted to someone like this so called general, he always made good on his word. "You know if the headmaster finds out he could have you-"

A blank expression returned to Squall's face as he disregarded her comments. "Whatever."

Quistis appreciative glance quickly turned to stone as that annoying word quickly jumped into conversation. Once, just once she would like to hear him go a day without saying it. Talk about unreasonable desires.

"Anyways, I am going to go help her get acquainted with being with a SeeD." Quistis cocked her head to one side as she looked puzzled by what Squall said. His correction was immediate." I mean being a Seed!" Rinoa however seemed to be dazed by something said earlier to even react. Figures, she probably wasn't used to being surrounded by mercenaries. "And you are off duty now. Get some sleep Quistis. We will talk in the morning."

With that Squall stood up and grabbed Rinoa's hand to lead her out of the room before the blond could interrupt them with some nosy comment about this secret mission. He led her straight through the corridor and into the elevator that would take them down to the first floor. Once the doors on the elevator had shut, someone had finally gained enough courage to speak the doubts that were lingering in her mind.

"How did you…" There were so many questions left unanswered. What was she thinking? How could she have possibly expected to fool a highly trained specialist skilled in the arts of subterfuge and deception? Stupid stupid stupid!

"How did I come up with that story last minute ridiculous story? All part of being a SeeD. Don't worry, I'll help you cover some of the basics to help you fit in. Speaking of which, we are going to have to find you a place to stay. Hope you don't mind the couch for a night."

'_He…he was just …making that up? Damn!' "No_ I don't mind. But what is it that I could possibly do at a place like this? I'm not really cut out for any SeeD related jobs." The elevator clanged to alert its passengers that they had reached their destination. The two got out of the elevator and made their way to the dorm rooms to put an end to this inquisitive and stressful evening. Tomorrow would be a looong day.

"Don't worry. I think I have just the spot for someone like you. Until then, just get some rest." This wasn't a good sign. Squall had arrived in front of his door holding the hand of a pretty young girl with a slight small on her face. "Listen, why don't you go in and get comfortable." Bad choice of words given the situation. "And I'll go see about getting some food."

"Alright." There was that cute little smile again. Rinoa was like an emotional rollercoaster that was jumping from happy to nervous to a seething anger and then suddenly none of it would matter when she had that little half smile that showed limitless appreciation.

Squall opened the door to his dorm and allowed the young lady to walk in just a few steps. She quickly turned around to face him to say something just before he left for the evening. "Squall?"

"Yeah?"

"So am I more than just a pretty face?"

"Yeah" Squall turned to leave yet again but was once again halted by Rinoa's voice.

"Oh Squall?"

"Yeah?" He really was a man of few words, wasn't he.

"Thanks…for everything." If it wasn't for the fact she was standing in his room, she could have kissed him for all he went through to help a girl he knew nothing about.

"Don't worry about it." ……_'Ms. Caraway'_

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_Hope you guys will take the time to leave a review as i enjoy getting them. I look forward to hearing from you all soon. Until next time, take care. :-) _


	6. New Introductions

AN: Here is another update. This will be a little more upbeat than some of my other chapters. Dunno why. Its just the kidn of mood i have been in. I will do my best to update regularly. Thank you all for your reviews.

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"It's Squall! Squall's come back from the mission!" the young girl's voice echoed through the corridor as she watched the darkly clothed warrior make his way down the hallway. On his side his trusty gunblade remained sheathed by that peculiar tri-belt system he was so found of, with the blade appearing to hang only a mere few inches above the ground. He easily spotted the little 'watchgirl' for the classroom who eagerly shrieked and ran in to tell everyone the news.

Squall wasn't sure how well the class would take this news. Apparently the children had mistaken several other people for him while he was gone. We all know the story about the boy who cried wolf. Then again this was a little girl and no one had the heart to suspect a sweet and innocent little girl of lying. Maybe this made them more dangerous than the wolves.

A hand clutched onto the sleeve of Squall's jacket and prevented him from freely going any further. His head snapped around and his normally icy blue eyes fell upon Rinoa and became slightly amused at her rather disheveled state. She looked like she could vomit violently at any moment. That certainly wouldn't help her keep her cover now would it?

"Are you…are you sure I can do this. I mean I haven't ever worked –" Her face shriveled up a bit while her nose started to twitch ever so slightly. It was now more than ever that the commander felt her to be this pure and innocent little bunny while he was the lion on the hunt. Was it a sick and twisted part of him that enjoyed this little game, or perhaps something a little more perverted? When in doubt, take a little from column A and a little from column B.

Then again, Squall couldn't let himself forget that this so called innocent little rabbit was hiding a secret from him. A secret that he knew only by chance. Or so he would have thought many years ago. Edea taught him one thing for certain. There are few coincidences in life. Just many loosely stringed sequences of events that will all cleverly tie in together when the moment is right. In layman's terms? Hyne can be a prick with destiny.

So how should he proceede with this little situation? It was almost too fun to keep up this game of cat and mouse. Maybe for a little bit longer it would be a better idea to keep up these false pretenses. What's the worst that could happen…right? Right!?

"You'll be fine." He'd never seen anyone so scared of children before. He turned around again though this time he gripped her wrist to nearly drag her towards the room at the end of the corridor. A dozen heads seemed to pear through the doorway as they all anxiously awaited Squall's entrance into the classroom. How could anyone ever feel fear from such darling little angels? "Or if you rather, we could discuss your past instead. You're choice." Needless to say, Squall was stunned when Rinoa stopped walking altogether.

She ripped her arm away from Squall's clutches and took a few steps forward of her own volition, only to stop in between Squall and the door leading to the children. Rinoa turned her head to look at Squall for a few minutes…and then turned to face the children. Her head then went back to Squall. Then the children. Then Squall….and finally the children again.

A slight chill went down the small of her back as she watched the kids once more. She swore she could almost see a little bit of evil in their eyes. If they were anything like her as a kid, then she was certainly going to learn that payback can really be a bitch at times.

Then again at least she wouldn't have to answer any of Squall's questions.

Yet something bothered her about what had been happening recently. They spent nearly the entire previous night talking to one another about SeeD regulations and traditions. They shared a few stories, a few little quirks here and there. Hell, there was even a little laughter going around. It was almost damn near fun if it weren't for the fact she was surrounded by hundreds of heavily trained professionals skilled in the art of subterfuge and death.

And yet the entire time he never asked about who she really was or where she came from. It was like he was content to see her as a mysterious girl who fell out of the sky and into his world with no background and no baggage to bring along with her. Had it been anyone else she would have assumed the man was only interested in her as a pure sex object. It wouldn't have been the first time. But Squall was a SeeD who was presented with many opportunities to simply take what he wanted, be it information or something more physical, if he truly desired it. Why was he fine not knowing who she really was!?

'_God damn SeeD mind games! I bet this is all part of his plan to get me to slowly reveal who I am. If only…if only I could get someone like him to come to work for us…even for a little while'_

But there was a way, wasn't there? He was male just like any other person with a Y chromosome. He had certain faults created by wishes of the flesh. All that was needed was a little bit more flirting. While he may have known her identity was false back then, his reactions to her tantalizing teasing certainly couldn't be faked. _'Guys can't fake that with girls…right?' _Ah here we have yet another unsolved mystery of the universe.

How strong was her desire to see her cause supported by the commander of one of the Gardens? What was her conviction to see success at any cost? How far was she willing to go? What was perhaps the scariest of all these questions was undoubtedly, how much of the flirting was because she genuinely had developed a crush on him?

"I think I'll take my chances with the kids, at least for now." Squall had just given her an out. An opportunity to confess all that she knew and all that she was without fear of reprimand. Would she get such a chance again? Maybe…if she lived this lie out long enough.

Rinoa slowly swayed her way towards Squall with her feather blue duster following her near hypnotic moments with a slight delay. Squall didn't know how, but her hair seemingly swayed about in the hallway despite the fact there was no wind. Girls had to have some secrets now don't they?

Rinoa shyly nibbled on her bottom lip as she arched her eyes upward to gaze innocently into his face. "Don't you like little mystery in your women?"

All Squall wanted to do was gulp. It sounded simple enough right? Technically it should be a simple reflex reaction created by an uncomfortable situation involving a girl he had very impure thoughts about in the little sleep he did get. However he seemed to choke a little on air nonetheless as his eyes started to bulge a little bit.

'_Your women.'_ That phrase bounced around frantically in his head and caused all of his instincts to become momentarily blinded. What was she assuming? Had he misheard?_ Fight it stupid! Fight it! Act calm. You're a fully fledged SeeD! She's just a girl! Man up!'_

Rinoa had to walk a razor thin line in this tricky situation as she had to make sure not to pull things over the top. There was a little relief however. There was no way a reaction like that could have been faked. He was seducible after all. Slowly her head tilted to one side as she put her hand gently on his arm. "Hmm?"

Not realizing he already looked quite the fool by trying to hide his attempt at choking on air, Squall tried to buck up only to be assaulted by a new type of attack. The looks a woman could give were more dangerous than any arsenal of weapons.

After a few moments of deep shallow breathes, Squall regained his composition finally. Now he would show her whose boss. "Whatever." Well, at least it sounded cool in Squall's head.

"Ohhhh! Squally's got a girlfriend! Squally's got a girlfriend!" A chorus of children could be heard laughing and giggling at the obviously outrageous news. It was silenced only by the sound of the leather tightening against itself as the Commander closed his hand into a fist and ran past Rinoa towards the classroom. There was no doubt about it. Every child had a little bit of the devil in them. He was just going to do some…exorcisms.

Rinoa stood by bewildered for a moment as she saw mixed expressions on Squall's face as he ran past her. These children could certainly get a rise of out of him. Perhaps having to watch over them for a little bit wouldn't be nearly as bad as she thought it would be.

Finding no reason to hang out around the hallway any longer, Rinoa ran towards the classroom and entered through the door to find a site that was quite shocking to her, despite all that she had seen and been through in these past few days.

It looked like your average classroom. At least the structure did. She doubted many cadets here did a lot of finger painting and hung up their crafts around the room for their teacher to display. Then again she had never gone through SeeD training so anything was certainly a possibility. It had desks and chairs just like one expected, along with a larger desk in the front. Each child appeared to have access to a linked console system that gave them access to a large yet restricted database for those their age. It wasn't going to be easy playing schoolteacher to the kids of SeeDs. Then again there wasn't really any other option.

What was most amusing about the spectacle in the room was the dogpile of children that had taken down and defeated the mighty 'Lion of Balamb' as he attempted to struggle and squirm while squashed underneath so many people. It looked like his body had been swallowed up by a blob of children and left only his head available. It wasn't Rinoa's fault that she laughed. Anyone would have had they walked into it. But maybe she didn't have to bring her hand to her mouth to try and stifle the giggling while using a desk to support herself from falling over with glee. If only she had a camera right now. Blackmail material was always handy.

"Ah! Class. It appears Ms. Heartily has decided to join us. Why don't you welcome your new teacher…the Garden way." That last part sounded painful to Rinoa's ears.

The class of children quickly dismounted from their precious commander and ran towards Rinoa, glomping on to her and knocking her down to the floor so she ended up in similar fashion as Squall. It didn't take long for the battle hardened warrior to make his way towards her and look down upon her with a tiny half-smile. _'Damn him for looking so kissable like that!'_

"Alright everyone. Take your seats and we will properly introduce your new teacher." This certainly was strange. She had head passing rumors that the commander from Balamb was the type to keep to himself and rarely said a word. Why was it he was so good and calm with children then? Hmm, maybe she heard it wrong. Wait…who did she know that could tell her anything like that about this Garden? For some reason she couldn't remember right now….

Squall stood in front of the class and waved for Rinoa to join him at his side before crossing his arms together and leaning against the desk. "Now class. I want to introduce you to-" Wait. He cant be allowed to finish this sentence. He is dealing with kids. They just had to interrupt

"Your girlfriend!" that came from a boy who seemed to give his seal of approval.

"No! Your lover!" The hell!? They shouldn't know about things like that!

"Squall can't have a girlfriend! I want to be his girlfriend!" Well…in 10 years it wouldn't be against the law for this little girl to have that kind of relationship. Keep the hope alive!

"No! You're not his girlfriend, I am!" A little blond with glasses looked like she was ready to pounce upon anyone who threatened her claim. That unfortunately, included Rinoa.

"Hey Squall…does this mean you wont have time for us anymore?" That stoutly young boy along with many other interested kids were receiving special training to help prepare them for the SeeD entrance exams. Then again…if it meant having to be taught by that girl over there….he was willing to give up that lifelong dream. What? He was only 12. His lifelong dreams changed weekly.

With a loud smack Squall silenced everyone in the room and caused a little 'eep' to spring from Rinoa. Sometimes she acted so adorable. Wait…no…don't think in terms of adorable. Think manly things…..baseball…trucks….weights….guns…microwavable frozen dinners.

"This is your new teacher. Ms. Heartily. She will be looking after you guys from now on. And don't worry, I'll still be dropping by to keep an eye on you guys." In the few days she had known Squall, Rinoa had never seen him give such an honest reassurance glance. He truly cared for these children, didn't he? Geeze, this would be bad if she fell in love with him while trying to seduce him.

"Course you will, to smooch with your girlfriend!"

A deadly glare was sent to the little boy who sprung that comment. That one had been smitten by the pushy blond for sometime. "You sure you want to talk about girlfriends?"

It was good being the adult. You knew every child's secrets. All their hopes, desires…and oh yes, crushes.

"Now. I want you to be good for Ms. Heartily. If you do…I'll treat you guys to something. Alright?" Squall didn't have time to answer as something from within his jacket started to buzz lightly. Portable phones. Who would have thought something like that would have caught on.

"Alright Ri-…Ms. Heartily. I'll leave the rest to you." Squall quickly walked out of the room and down the corridor while reaching into his coat to pull out the small device. He was expecting this call for sometime now. In the background he could hear the kids chanting something about trees, kissing, and babies. Funny, back when he was a child, they said babies came from storks.

Squall quickly scanned the area before flipping his phone open and answered the call in a rather shallow voice.

"General."

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Hope i have been keeping you guys in suspense. Let me know what you think of this story. Leave a review. I like to reply to them. Until next time, take care. :-) 


	7. Deception

AN: To start off, i want to thank all the people who reviewed the previous chapter. Your feedback was appreciated. :-)

On a sidenote...

Has anyone else seen Outlaw Star? I have been rewatching it recently. Is it just me or does that have a well crafted plot...an intricate universe...well thought out characters...and a short as hell storyline? I dunno about you guys, but i want more outlaw star! The whole caster system is just friggin cool!

Now then, on with the story.

Well not quite. I was quite worried about my portrayel of Squall and Rinoa as i found them both to be more ooc than i usually write thm. It was only recently that i remembered why i originally wrote this fiction. Both thier parents live. Squall wouldnt be AS cold and heartless because of that, and even Rinoa would be at least a little different if her mother lived.

I had made mentio nof thier parents in the first few chapters...and then forgot about it. Shame on me. Well this chapter is to help correct that error, so enjoy reading it.

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"Excuse me. Oh I'm sorry, I must have the wrong room." At the door to a familiar classroom stood a woman with long brunette hair that flowed down her back. While a few stray wrinkles revealed she was about forty-ish, the lady remained one that could snatch a double take from just about any man. She remained by the door side confused about where she ended up with a little lopsided smile on her face. This was supposed to be the right room. She had come here many times before…but this time she didn't find what she was looking for.

"Its Mrs. Loire!" shouted out that familiar bossy blond girl with glasses. Rinoa had learned quite early on that this one tended to keep the other children in control. It had certainly helped to keep that particular child happy these past few weeks. It made her job that much easier.

Rinoa put down the chalk as she was helping the children solve a rather tedious math problem and slowly made her way to the door with a smile on her face. "Can I help you?" She did appear to be looking for someone. Maybe she was the parent of one of her students. Oddly enough she had yet to meet any of them. It was probably too dangerous to have so many people drill her on her qualifications.

"Yes I'm looking for my Squall, my-" Unfortunately Raine was interrupted by the substitute teacher. Not just by the words Rinoa spurted out, but the brief but apparent glowing smile that flew across Rinoa's face at the mention of his name. Odd. She hadn't seen any girl react to him that way before.

Yes being the mother of Squall Leonhart was a rather unusual title to hold. The first of many reasons being that most people could hardly believe that someone who looked so young could have a child as old as Squall. But that was hardly the child's fault, now was it?

He was always an odd little boy, clinging to familiarity wherever he could find it. From the day he was born he constantly sought out his adopted sister for companionship. It was from that day on she had a feeling the two would never be alone so long as they had each other to support one another.

Though in truth, it often made Raine feel like an extra in a poorly written play. Sometimes at least. Her little boy had become quite the mama's boy as well growing up, often clinging to her leg whenever meeting strangers or even slightly afraid. She was still the one he came crying to whenever he skinned his knee or got picked on. Raine never felt a lack of love from her child, but what mother couldn't help but want more? This was one of those times it was ok to be selfish.

It warmed her heart to know that she was one of the few women in his life that he kept in touch with constantly. Raine worried when her son didn't call for an extended period of time. It usually meant he was out on a mission of sorts. Let's face it, no matter how strong someone is, a mission always has an element of danger along.

"Oh Squall! Well…I imagine he must be in his office right now." Come to think of it, Rinoa had never seen him do much outside of his office, the training room, or their dorm. That's right…their dorm. The two were still having a strange living arrangement until further living quarters could be freed up. That's alright. Rinoa was willing to 'rough it' on the sofa for a while.

"I see." Damn. She was hoping to catch her son here. Wait…Squall? It was ok for her to say Squall. She was the boy's mother. Everyone else around here, staff included, called him Mr. Leonhart or Commander. The only other people to get away with it was the children and a few select friends and Raine had met all of the people he considered one of those. Why was this one left out? Time for a mother's inquisitive and protective nature to take over.

"How do you know him, if you don't mind my asking?"

That was the question Rinoa had fought long and hard to avoid asking. It was difficult enough to deal with a classroom full of children with wild imaginations and limitless creativity, but this woman looked like she could be a bit of a challenge.

"Squall? Uh…He was….the one to help me get settled in here." That sounded believable enough, even though administrative duties like this fell outside the jurisdiction of the base commander. Doh…

"Really? I thought Quistis was the one who helped teachers along through the orientation." Hyne only knows what condition the school would be in if Quistis wasn't around to make things better. Squall was adept at bringing about change and chaos, whereas Quistis could return order to the most bleak of situations.

'_Come on Rinoa! You can pull through this. If you can escape from the Galbadian army while disguising yourself as a SeeD and landing yourself in what is probably the most secure military institution on the planet…then surely you can fool her!' _The truth is, you don't become a resistance movement without learning to adapt and to think quickly on your feet.

"Squall used to take care of these children, so he thought he would be the best person to help me get adjusted." There! That sounds like it could be true. Wait…it technically was…making it the best lie/cover story of them all!

Raine stepped backwards just slightly and let herself take in Rinoa's appearance for a moment. She found herself doubting Squall's apparent true motives for helping this young woman…get adjusted. Her son might be cold and a bit of a loner at times around other people….but he was still a man.

"I see. Well I'll be going then…Ms..?" Yep, Raine would be going alright. Right to the directory to get some more information on this….this….hussy!

"Heartily. Ms. Heartily." The name reverberated throughout Mrs. Loire's head like a bad nightmare coming back to haunt you through the day. Heartily? Could it be? Was this woman the daughter of…? How many Heartilys could there possibly be?

Was she….stunned? Shocked? Appalled? Or maybe…maybe the emotion that came more predominantly over her now was relief. Relief at finding a Heartily? The potential daughter of the woman who almost…..?

Too many questions racing through your mind at any given time? Terrible feeling isn't it? Best solution to the problem? Run away and think things through later.

Squall would have quite a bit of explaining to do. There is no way he would have overlooked something so blaringly obvious.

"Would you like me to phone Squall and let him know you are coming?" An honest enough request, even though she did feel like talking to him anyways. What…it wasn't love. She just needed to…flirt with him more for purely logical reasons relating to her cause. That's all.

"She just wants an excuse to talk to her boyfriend!" The boy who came forward with that comment was shot with a deadly glare that could pierce through stone. Looks like class was getting double homework today.

That last comment left a suspicious feeling in the pit of Raine Loire's stomach as she continued to digest the plethora of information offered by this accidental meeting. Just what had she stumbled on and how badly was she overreacting?

"No…I need to go into town for a moment. I'll talk to him later." And with that she went off quickly down the hallway before she caught herself saying anything ridiculous to the teacher. In the end it could all be one cosmic coincidence. A joke on Hyne's part to throw everyone into a bit of confusion.

This girl….she couldn't possible be the daughter of Julia. It just couldn't be? Or maybe…maybe it was too dangerous to hope it was.

Confused by the rather odd encounter and quick departure by their guest, Rinoa did the only thing she could do in a given situation. Consult a child for advice.

She walked over to the know it all blond and knelt down by her desk so she could speak in a whisper so no one else could listen in. Naturally the rest of the class all accidentally dropped their pencils so they could lean in and pick up bits and pieces of their conversations. This is where the juicy gossip of the class flowed.

"Who was that?'

"Mrs. Loire?" That sounded like a dumb question. The last name alone should have been a dead give away to who her husband was. Oh wait! The last name must be what's also throwing her off! "That's Squall's mother."

A brief crash was heard as Rinoa fell to the floor in shock.

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"Hey! Commander Puberty! Are you in there!" Squall's day had started out well enough. He woke up, showered, changed, and made his way to work just as he had many times before. While there wasn't anything especially good about the day, there hadn't been anything especially bad either. Then again, that was until Seifer fought his way into the commander's office. "Stop hiding from me!"

The doors burst open as the blond kicked them open. Behind him a very frantic young secretary was almost cowering behind her desk at this rather unorthodox display coming from an elite SeeD. Hmm… she was new here. _'Guess I should have told her about Seifer.'_

Well at least it would makes things a bit more interesting around here. Frankly life was getting a bit boring stamping out endless piles of papers with names and information he wont remember ten minutes from now. He was the bloody commander, not the freaking headmaster. This was supposed to be outside of his jurisdiction. Yet somehow Cid and Edea always managed to guilt him into getting this work done.

"What do you want now?" He leaned forward on his desk and rested his cheek against one hand as he awaited this latest outburst. Too many things ticked Seifer off and he wasn't afraid to voice his displeasure with any situation.

"Your mother!" No. this wouldn't be a bad string of 'Your mama' jokes as to people turned comedy into a dual of sorts. This was a legitimate complaint against someone's mother. "Hyne! The second I ran into her in the parking lot, she started scolding me again!"

'_Don't laugh….that will upset Seifer more….Don't laugh…..don't laugh…you're a highly trained cold and emotionless killing machine….you will not laugh….'_

At that precise moment the memory of what happened the last time his mother came to the garden appeared. His mom grabbed Seifer by the ear and dragged him away from a bunch of cadets he was flirting with while complaining that a boy his age should act more grown up. Needless to say that had effectively diminished Seifer's hard earned reputation as the garden.

Hang on a minute….that means…"My mom is here?" This was not good. Quite the contrary, this was very bad. He had spoken to her several times over the past few weeks and he had made no mention of Rinoa. Should his mother so much as learn that Rinoa Heartily was here, things could get quite complicated.

"Of course she is you dimwit! She didn't berate me again over the phone!" The raging blond took a seat across from Squall's desk and propped his feet up upon it while leaning back in frustration. "A guy just can't act himself with someone's mother hovering around. You need to warn us when she comes around like that!" For that time period alone, Seifer would at least try to act like a gentleman.

Having released a little bit of rage, Seifer had actually calmed down quite a bit. He was much more placid after he started seeing….someone.

He brought his hands up behind his head and looked over with a smirk. "So, what happened to you today?" It would be great to hear how Mrs. Loire embarrassed Squall. Though to be honest he had yet to hear a story like that.

Much to his dismay, there would be no further telling of such humorous tales as Squall was no longer seated across from him, but instead launched himself like a rocket down the hallway and towards the elevator.

"Hey! Don't you run away from me when I'm talking to you!" However Squall was too preoccupied to hear the half threat coming from his friend and rival.

Absolutely disgusted with the lack of respect a warrior of his caliber had been treated with Seifer slumped further into his chair. _'Humph. No respect.'_

His mood was quickly lifted when he saw a faint blue glow off the window behind Squall's chair. The bloody idiot had left in a hurry without signing off of the system. Hmm, looks like Seifer could do a little snooping while the commander was away. If anyone came in all he had to say was that he was shutting it off after their leader had burst out of here. It sounded plausible enough.

It wasn't a need to snoop that made Seifer do it….but out of limited concern. Squall had been rather odd these days. He was almost a total recluse before, but now he seemed to spend even less time with other people. If he wasn't working or training, you could guarantee that he was in his dorm room hidden away from the rest of the world.

Of course someone like Seifer never needs to justify their actions. He simply sat down in Squall's chair and started digging away.

* * *

The world was a dizzying haze of nausea as all Rinoa could see was a blurred outline of a figure sitting over in the corner. A rush of confusion hit her as she slowly began to recount the events of the day and just what led to her…..irrational response.

"Better?" A simple one worded question that got straight to the point. It had to be Squall sitting over there. The fact he was here assured her that he knew the events of the day, and perhaps comforted her that he cared.

"Yeah…" not much was worse than falling unconscious for a minute or so from shock. Although hitting her head against a desk on her way down did do enough damage to keep her out for quite a bit longer.

"So you met-" Hmm. Can't think of much to say here, so stating the obvious seemed like the way to go.

"Yeah…" This was awkward. Meeting his mother, him sitting here like this. The whole situation was just awkward. How was she supposed to react to meeting the mother of the man she was trying to seduce for her own gain? It's not like she did this kind of thing for a living!

Squall stood up from his seat across the room and approached her with a glass of water. Rinoa pulled herself upright and sat up in the bed and rubbed her eyes before accepting the drink and regaining at least some composure.

"I think I made a fool of myself." Ehh, wrong. Correction. She did make a fool of her self. No doubt about it.

"So I heard." Right…smooth….real good with the words aren't ya buddy?

"Excuse me!?" How dare he judge her! It wasn't like he knew her well enough to do that! And therein lays the problem.

"Sounded funny to me." Oh Hyne…then she must have seemed like a bigger idiot than she thought if Squall of all people found that funny.

"All I did was faint!" Rinoa crossed her arms and tilted her nose up just a little bit as she turned her head away in annoyance. The nerve of some men!

"Well you did hit your head on the way down. Seems like a bit of overreaction to me." He did have a point. Its not like she had insulted anyone, besides herself that is.

"I can't help where I fall when I faint! Meany!" There, that point should get him!

'_Meany? What is she 12!?' _Certainly not. No twelve year old could have legs that don't stop and a chest you couldn't help but stare at if didn't catch yourself. "Yes but you didn't have to faint in the first place, now did you?"

Aha, a point that had Rinoa speechless for a moment. Well in all fairness she was just knocked out. Witty responses would take some time.

"It seems like very strange behavior if you ask me." Squall quietly circled the bed making his way to the other side as he concluded his thoughts. "It looks like you have been hiding something important. Something about you that you were scared would get out into the open."

The world seemingly slowed down and sped up at the same time as Rinoa found herself heavily breathing and sweating under this mock interrogation. Something she had done had tipped him off. Or maybe he was just too tired not knowing who she really was while she continuously tried to gain his favor.

There was no denying it at this point.

Squall leaned down and let his face hover just inches away from Rinoa's as his eyes pierced hers looking for truth…looking for answers to questions he hadn't asked. All she wanted to do at the moment was to look away and not face what was to come next, but such a luxury would not be provided for her.

There was no denying it in deed. She wasn't just pretending to flirt with him. From the beginning she could tell he was someone she liked. Yet the more she told herself she was acting the more apparent it became that Rinoa was only trying to fool herself. Deception seemed to be the name of the game with their 'relationship' and that was hardly a sturdy basis for one.

It was all over now. He would want to know who she really was and where she really came from.

Squall's face continued to hover just inches away from her own with an almost hypnotic stare as he took in her every twitch. He reached up with one hand and moved aside a piece of disheveled hair as he asked the question that needed to be answered before anything else happened.

"Who am I to you?"

* * *

Was that the question anyone was expecting at the end? I have been trying to work on just how much irony i have in my stories...given my name at least.

Well, as always, your comments, questions, and overall reviews are eagerly awaited. Until next time, take care guys!


	8. Memories

You know...you guys have been awesome. I get reliable reviews from the people who read my ff8 works, and most of the time people here try to be fair and balanced while giving real reviews.

I really appreciate it, especially after getting a lot of hate for another fiction i updated. So to show my appreciation mixed in with a little bit of thanksgiving surprise, i made this chapter twice the size.

Although im not sure if its now twice as much garbage or twice as much super fluffyness. I was aiming for that latter, but lets see what you guys think. I think im getting a little bit of my fluffly writting mojo back, but i dont want to jinx myself just yet.

I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I had fun writing it.

Thanks again to all the people who had sent in thier reviews, and i hope you will continue to do so. You have my deepest appreciation and thanks. For the good and the bad ones (so long as its balanced. :-) )

One thing you should know before i go on. I will seperate the flashbacks with page breaks. It should be easy enough to follow even without them, but i hope it helps. Enjoy!

* * *

Moonlight from the ceiling up above shown down brightly and mixed in with the artificial illumination of the ballroom below. The light danced and mingled together much like the people enjoying the celebration down below, all save for one person that is.

For one person, the bright tapestries gathered from across the land from the very ends of time were nothing more than a dull attempt to add life to an otherwise dreary room.

For one person, the music that wafted through the ears of all in attendance and dazzled the mind came across as nothing more than noise that couldn't be blocked out.

For one person, none of the cuisine that was gathered from them would ever reach their lips so that they might get just a taste of the succulent meal that had been prepared.

No, for this one person this whole charade was nothing more than a farce that happened to land on the day of his birth. He didn't care about this so called treaty that had united the two previously warring nations. Why couldn't they just get along with it without turning it into such a big deal? It's not like having a ball and inviting the leaders of the two warring countries to celebrate the one year armistice would smooth over the bloodshed as if it never happened.

He hated Galbadians anyways. All they ever did was cause trouble like any war-mongering nation did. Lately at least. It all started when one of their generals led a successful coup against their current ruler and took up power for himself. Sure he had made many peaceful advances and restored much of the lost civility of the land, but that didn't stop them from the many invasions of smaller countries to come.

Worse yet…it kept taking his parents away on business. All he wanted was a little attention every now and again. It didn't have to be extravagant or very long…but just enough to let him know he existed…that what he felt and what he was going through really did matter.

He hated his father for the work he had to do and for making his mother go along most of the time. Perhaps that's why he never let him get close even when he tried. It's always easiest to blame the father, however inaccurate it may be at times.

No instead he would keep company with his adopted sister Ellone. She took care of him whenever his mother could not. She even provided the occasional word of encouragement whenever he was feeling down because his parents were away again. But the fact his family was almost royalty caught up with them once again as Ellone was sent away to a boarding school to finish her education.

He hated the life he was forced to live. Sometimes he wondered what it would have been like to never have known his parents. Maybe then he'd be better off in some orphanage, surrounded by other children who would share in his pain. Well…no use thinking about the absurd and unlikely. He was stuck here

Unless he left one day. He could join…the circus! No that would be ridiculous. Maybe he could become part of the military! But the only two significant powers around were the two he wanted to avoid.

That only left….the SeeD. SeeD became a safe haven and training institution for lost boys twelve and older. It was a place for orphans to find a place to belong, and runaways to hide from their past until it finally once again caught up with them.

Yeah…that's what he'll do. He'll run away and become a SeeD cadet in two years. Then his parents will be sorry they weren't around so much.

It didn't matter that his requests for more attention were unreasonable and selfish. He was just a child and they were allotted such luxuries.

While all this ran through the mind of one boy with hazelnut hair and stormy blue eyes, he remained leaning against a pillar with a cup of cider in his hand, drinking it slowly while pretending to be interested in the glass lest someone walk up and try to disturb him.

Time always passed slower when you wanted something to end quickly. Maybe it was boredom. Maybe it was loneliness. Ellone couldn't make it back in time to attend. He had a few friends who attended but they knew better than to try and talk to him when he was at….well any social gathering really.

So a young Squall Loire was left to his solitude at the gala, until one little girl who didn't know any better approached him with a curtsy and a shy smile to follow suit.

"You're the best looking guy here" He barely looked up to register her words. Guy? He was just a kid. What was wrong with her? Wait…who was talking to him?

"Dance with me?" Though Squall continued to look down upon the floor like he was trying to burn a whole in it…his eyes were tempted just enough to glance at her face to see who was bothering her. Her voice sounded nice enough…warm almost.

"Let me guess... You'll only dance with someone you like" His eyes met with creamy white skin offset by pinkish lips and a cute button nose. For a moment, Squall couldn't help but think that he could like this girl. But dancing was out of the question!

"Ok then…" He sighed thinking he had won victory and would be left alone from this little encounter. Perhaps his silence had convinced her to leave him alone. Except she bent her knees a little so she could look up straight into his eyes.

It was only then that he noticed she wore a flowing cream colored gown, the type that would turn any ordinary girl into Cinderella if she were to wear it. She had matching shoes and oddly enough, an anklet on one leg. That was a Galbadian fashion. Crap.

"Look into my eyes..." It's not like he had much of a choice. If he resisted he would have acknowledged her presence. Stick with Plan A. Keep ignoring the cute girl. Then again that was hard to do as she started waving around her hand in a 'magical' way.

"You're-going-to-like me... You're-going-to-like-me..." _'I'm going to like you…I'm going to like you…_' What the hell…that almost worked! I mean…well she looked very likeable. But that didn't mean Squall wanted to have anything to do with her. It was just one party. Even if they spoke, it's not like they would ever meet again.

"Did it work?" She didn't need the spell. He was already a little bit smitten with her, but Squall was still shy and reclusive. However this whole little act made one thing painstakingly clear to Squall. He wasn't gong to be able to ignore this problem. Think of a cunning excuse like…One of my legs is fake or pretend to be deaf or say you have cooties or

"...I can't dance." Well that was utterly lame, though somewhat honest. Only somewhat. He had taken some courses in ballroom dancing a year ago, but it wasn't a talent he expected to use…ever.

"You'll be fine. Come on." With that the little pushy girl grabbed one hand and led him onto the dance floor, ignoring any half attempts by her counterpart to break free. There was no use fighting it any further. He would face untold amounts of shame and embarrassment in not only in front of his own nation…but now their 'allies'. Maybe if he made a huge fool of himself he would disqualify himself from the presidency one day. Memories of his father quickly shattered that hope.

Once they were in the middle of the dance floor, she took one of his hands and put it around her waist, while holding the other. It should be pretty easy. Just count the steps in your head…you can do this! _'1 2 3…1 2 3….1 2 3.' _

Squall's thoughts were interrupted when their feet stumbled up against one another. That looked painful from any angle. There was no use in going further. He had already made a big enough fool of himself as it was. That's it! It was just a Galbadian plot or something!

He tore his hands away from her and started to walk away, only to feel her drag him back to the dance floor yet again. A slight crowd was starting to watch them from the sides as a few of the adults smiled at the cuteness of it all.

This time his hands once again found their way back to her waist and hand, much to Squall's discomfort. Was it ok to hold a girl there? Well…she started it.

All right. Lets try again. '_1 2 3….1 2 3….1 3 2.'_ The two children bumped into an elderly couple who looked annoyed to have their well coordinated dance interrupted like that. Squall felt the need to apologize for doing so. His status required it of him.

That is until he saw the little forceful girl who had pulled him here make a face at them and stick out her tongue. _'I definitely like this girl.'_ She seemed so free and bold and willing to state her mind. He wasn't used to this kind of self-expression.

'_Maybe…I should stop counting and just focus…..on her' _Perhaps that's what dancing was really about in the end. Focusing on the person you are dancing with and being able to express yourself.

Almost like magic, Squall's feet found the ability to dance with this girl as if he was a natural all along. All he had to do…was think about not thinking. It was complex in its simplicity.

Thus the two children danced together in a symbolic relationship that couldn't help but describe the history between Esthar and Galbadia. One pulled the other of its hidden and quiet shell only to engage in conflict and turmoil. But when they stopped arguing over the numbers and the facts and focused on each other as a people, harmony ensued.

Having grown a little bold, Squall attempted a little spin that pulled the girl close to him with their noses just inches apart from one another. Obviously an inexperienced boy like Squall didn't know what to do from this point, but fate would save him from having to make a decision.

Fireworks exploded overhead, catching the immediate attention of the two children as the adults around them clapped for this little display. The two children didn't hear it. They were too engrossed on the spectacle in the sky.

"Umm…." Great. Now the girl has a loss for words. After Squall decided he liked her. Absolutely fantastic. "Why don't we meet over there later? I have to go find my mommy now." She pointed to a balcony behind a row of tables that seemed abandoned enough.

It was time to say something suave and cool. Something that would make her swoon and await their next meeting. Something like "Whatever."

"Ok! I'll be there in ten minutes!" Excitedly she ran off into the crowd to look for her mother while Squall was stunned from the actions that had just taken place. Maybe this was all part of being a free spirit? Who knows….

But on the subject of mothers…two conspiring ones were seated at the head table and glancing at one another with a knowing and mischievous smile. It didn't matter what they were planning because no matter what they came up with, their husbands would hate it.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking Raine?" A young women with a voice like silk looked over to her new found friend over the past year.

"I think so Julia." That particular topic for discussion had come up several times before. Girls always seemed to fantasize about having their child marry their best friend's kid. It was never anything discussed too seriously, at least up until a moment ago.

"You have quite the handsome son there. My Rinoa seems quite smitten with him." Actually the whole scene outright dumbfounded her. While Rinoa demanded her independence and loved her free spirited nature, she had never taken to boys before. It had something to do about all little boys being little yucky meanies.

"Rinoa is a beautiful young girl. Squall seems to think so at least." Raine had to struggle with her boy just to get him to dance with his own mother. But he didn't fight as hard against this girl. It was an auspicious start for them.

"And the shooting star overhead must have been a good sign." Spoke the lady in red. Hyne seemed to approve this match.

Raine brought her hand up to her mouth for a moment to give the situation further though. "We might be thinking ahead to far to fast." She lowered her gaze back down to look upon her friend's.

'But there is no harm helping fate along, now is there?" The two women smiled and clinked their drinks together. A plan was in motion. A plan that could maybe shape the future to come.

Outside in the better cold, Squall stood like an idiot waiting for….well anything. It had been fifteen minutes and still he saw no cute little girl gliding towards him. He turned his back to the party and leaned over the balcony to look out into the night sky. It was amazing how much quieter it was here. It was….peaceful….but made him feel alone.

He thought about going in as another five minutes passed, but it wasn't like he had anything he wanted to do in there. At least if he stood out here none of the adults would bother him about that little dance. While he didn't realize it at that moment, the second he stopped dancing he realized many had watched him. If he hadn't made a quick escape…he would have been killed by a flurry of questions and 'awws'.

"Sorry I'm late. I couldn't find my mom so…" Her voice started to chatter as the cold night air began to nip away at her.

"Whatever." And to think. He had just once again accepted that he was alone…and there she comes in the nick of time.

"My name's Rinoa. What's yours? Achoo!" Was it possible to have an adorable sneeze? Apparently it was because that's what Squall thought it was.

"Squall." Why couldn't he have a cooler name? What was so great about being named after a killer storm? Wild and unpredictable with a bit of mystery build in.

"Squall. I like that name." She smiled at him again but her arms started to rub against themselves in an attempt to build some heat.

"Here" Squall had taken off his coat and handed it to the shivering girl before him. His mother would kill him if she found out he did otherwise. And Squall wasn't going to kid himself, his mom would find out…somehow.

"Aww…thanks!" She was smiling again and that was all it took for Squall to bear the cold. How could the weather bother him when his mind was engrossed within the wildfire that burned within her chocolate brown eyes?

"So Squall…tell me about yourself…"

And thus the two children talked for hours on end while the party continued inside without any further displays. None went around looking for the children after a few servants who knew to make their presence scarce alerted their parents of just where their children were. With that the mothers regained their devious smiles. It seemed fate might not need their help after all.

But alas all parties much eventually come to an end. Time passed more quickly after that as guest after guest took their leave of the party and made their way home. Quickly only the two heads of state and their respective guards were around. It was just about time to leave.

Too bad for them there were two children on the balcony who didn't want to separate just yet.

They talked about everything. Their parents. Their lives. Their hopes. Their dreams. Anything and everything that could be covered in a few hour long conversation.

Then the touchy subjects came up.

"Squall…have you…." Suddenly Rinoa started acting far shyer than ever before. It was hard for her to keep her glances up on level with the slightly taller boy who crunched his brow in confusion.

"Have I….?" Get to the point. Everything was going to smoothly before..

"Have you ever….you know….like….kissed a girl before…?" Squall's eyes shot wide open as the question slowly sunk in. He certainly hadn't been expecting that from her.

But what should he say? Should he pretend to be experienced here or just stick with the truth and his innocence in such relationships? Wait…why was he bothering to worry about this at all? He'd already proven his inexperience with girls in general by that dancing fiasco earlier.

"No." There. He said it. If she laughs at him so be it. He was only ten.

"Would you like to?" He looked at her with peculiar eyes, this time he too found difficulty looking at her. Both their eyes were focused on their own feet as the uncomfortable question hung in the air. Neither noticed the figure watching them from just inside the ballroom.

"I mean…if you don't want to you don't have to. I ..would understand… I'm sorry fo-" But her lips were too busy to continue talking as she felt slight pressure against them from the boy she was rambling to moments ago.

It was a feeling she never felt before. Her mind raced as she fervently thought about what to do next, only to have it eventually slow down and enjoy the moment that seemed to last forever.

That is until a tall brutish sort of man cleared his throat which sent the two children standing upon opposite sides of the outing. Both had a beat red look upon their face and returned to looking down until the adult nearby spoke.

"Come Rinoa. We are leaving. Say goodbye." His voice was neutral, but Squall gained enough courage to look up and see who was taking Rinoa away.

It was her father, the general. Eeep!

"Yes daddy. Bye Squall…" Her voice was slightly drowned in sorrow as she began to think about how she may not see this boy again for sometime. She started to walk away when a feeling of boldness overcame her. She quickly went back to him to plant a memorable peck on the lips…a lasting parting before they had to separate for who knows how long.

Her dad simply watch his daughters actions before Rinoa retook his hand, now ready to go back home. As courtesy, the General nodded his head to signal his departure and started to make his way back to his wife.

"Ex—Excuse me! General! Sir!" General Caraway stopped in mid walk and turned around to see the quivering boy who was calling for his attention. This would prove to be rather interesting. At least the boy had guts. That was admirable.

"Sir…could I…might I…..be allowed to….write letters to your daughter?" The General immediately perked up at this as he felt the tiny grip upon his hand tighten. His little Rinoa had a new smile quickly appear on her face as she heard the news and mouthed the words 'please daddy…'

Rinoa had already won this battle.

"You may." With that, General Caraway returned to walking away, leaving behind him a boy who maybe for the first time in a long time, had a genuine smile on his face.

* * *

Rinoa quickly sprang up from Squall bed panting and sweating as the dream finally ended. Well it wasn't so much a dream as it was a memory that felt like one. She remembered that particular event with her family quite well, but in her dream she experienced it from a new perspective. It was like she was watching her past through a television set. Why…why now would she remember that time from her past? It was a time that felt so long ago, yet it had barely been over a decade since. How could she know what that little estharian boy was thinking? What was happening?

She cuddled herself around a pillow that lingered with Squall's scent as she continued to lavish the feel of his bed further.

No…Squall wasn't here She remembered how she tricked him into giving it up for her.

* * *

Earlier that day Squall had escorted Rinoa back to their room while she was still in a daze. Sure she was still a little shaken, not stirred over her meeting with Squall's mother, but her life had turned around in a way she hadn't expected.

Rinoa felt like she was on some kind of wonderful drug, but that couldn't be right since the valium would have worn off hours ago. Yet somehow the world seemed to be more real than ever before. The songs of the birds sounded even sweeter. The flowers planted throughout the Garden were more….vivid and pleasant to the eyes. Hell even the smells she had become adjusted to were more vibrant. Life was just good.

And yet it all started with a kiss.

All Squall had done was lead her through a game of misdirection only to ask the question she never expected. _'Who am I too you?'_

What was she supposed to say? What was she supposed to do? Was it still time to play these games with him and lead him through further mystery after everything he had done for her? Was it fair to go back to kidding herself on her feelings for him after she admitted that she did indeed have genuine feelings for him?

Sometimes the statement holds true. Your actions speak so loud, I can't hear what you say.

So letting her actions do the talking, she just leaned in forward and closed her eyes to the eyes that had captivated her so to snatch his lips in a kiss. Even should her words occasionally lie and her motives used to be questionable at times, nothing could be faked in such a simple yet pure act.

Squall deserved to know the truth. She couldn't keep it from him any longer. Well…maybe one day longer. One more day couldn't possible hurt right? Somehow it just didn't seem right to spring upon him her true past. Oh and yes…she would have to tell him her initial motives.

Only fate could foresee how he would respond to her. It was a chance she would have to take.

Squall had signed her out and led her down towards their room, staying silent while Rinoa experienced the world through enhanced senses. However there was one particular issue that couldn't be put off till another day.

"You're going to have to move out tomorrow. With my mother here, things could get a little complicated." Hopefully she wouldn't question why it would be too….troublesome for her to stay there.

"Hmm?" She spun her head around in a daze trying to find out where that voice was coming from. Oh, it was Squall. We like Squall.

"One of our SeeDs has been transferred out. The room will be ready for you tomorrow." Was this the appropriate thing to talk about with a girl who just kissed you? If not then what qualified as good conversation? Why wasn't there a manual on this? All it said under 'girlfriends' in the SeeD guidebook was 'good luck.'.

"Oh I see." It would be a little disappointing to move out, though truthfully it would be a blessing. She needed to have some space of her own. Let's not forget that its hard for a girl to share a bathroom with a guy. Wars have been fought over the toilet seat. Many lives have been lost. "Well that's good I guess…Your couch is a little uncomfy."

Squall decided at that moment uncomfy was one of those words only girls could use. Why that was relevant, who knows? Yet somehow it reminded him of how his bed was quite nice and that inspired an idea desired by all men.

"Well…" Don't show fear. Women can sense it. Remain cool and confident. Keep an even tempo in your voice. "There's always my bed…"

Rinoa suddenly stopped on her heels and spun around to face Squall with sparkling eyes and an incredibly wide smile. She seemed to rather like the idea. Score!

"Really!? Thank you so much! I can't believe you'd volunteer to sleep on your own couch! You're such a sweetheart!" Wait, no! Foul ball! Foul ball!

With that she skittered off down the hallway in an even more elated mood than before leaving a dumbfounded Squall wondering how the hell he ended up in this predicament.

* * *

Naturally Rinoa knew just what Squall was implying, but she couldn't resist toying with him in that manner. After flirting with him as much as she did over the past few days, it would prove fun to play a little hard to get…..provided he doesn't reject her for who she was and where she came from.

But what if he did reject her? What if he decided he couldn't trust her…what would she do?

She clutched onto the pillow tighter and allowed the scent of Squall to absorb into her senses further while her mind continued to create more havoc and disastrous situations. All she could think about was the ways he would deny her. No….he knew she was a woman of mystery. She needed to have faith….she needed to see him right now.

She rolled herself off of his bed while still wrapped up in his blankets and walked out of his room and towards the living area of his apartment style dorm. She saw him sleeping uncomfortably on the couch with his feet dangling over the edge while a tiny blanket barely provided any warmth.

The scene brought about a smile on her face. The kind of smile a little girl makes the first time they try ice-cream.

She slowly pitter pattered her way towards Squall doing her best not to make a sound lest she disturb his slumber. He looked so….so regal…so perfect sleeping like that.

Rinoa took his blanket off and then tucked him into it, making sure he was snuggly wrapped in it. He seemed to smile a bit, almost like he knew she was there, standing just by him looking to take care of him. It was enough to pull Rinoa forward to give him a little kiss on the cheek.

He sensed it. He must have for his smile grew for a brief instant before returning to its original form. Rinoa tilted her head shyly to the side in that cute way she always does and couldn't help but think he smiled like that boy from the 'dream/memory' she had just had.

Then it clicked. Squall……the last names were different but….

Could it be…

Was he……..

Her heart already knew the answer.

* * *

So what do you guys think? I would like to hear your thoughts, reviews, comments, suggestions, and whatever else you want to say. Leave a review and help me feel good:-)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Until next time, take care:-)


	9. Truth

AN: Yes, i know. Its been forever. I have two part time jobs, go to school full time, am trying to succesfully launch a business venture, and a lot of personal things happening. Lifes been busy. I will try and update whenever i can. I know this chapter isnt the best, but im still working on getting back into the swing of things. Hope you guys can bear with me through all of this. i would appreciate some support.

Enjoy and leave a review if you can.

* * *

_Dear Squall,_

_I can't believe you actually wrote me a letter! I thought you would forget all about me after we had to go. I'm sorry my dad made me leave like that. I was soo mad! I really didn't think you would actually write me a letter. I was so surprised when my nanny said someone had sent me one. No one has ever done that before!_

_I wish you were here with me. Things can get pretty lonely at my parent's place. A lot of the kids are too scared to even try and talk to me because I'm the general's daughter. Most of my friends are the kids of other military people. It can be a real pain at times. But I think…you understand what that's like. I'll never ever forget that talk we had in the balcony. It will be our little secret! I won't even tell any of my best friends. Promise._

_They kept asking me who you were and um….I said you were my boyfriend. Is that ok? If I tell my friends you're my boyfriend, will you say I'm your girlfriend? If you don't want to, that's fine. I guess. But if you become my boyfriend maybe some of the other boys will leave me alone. One of them keeps trying to pull my hair. My mom said it's because he likes me, but he's too dorky. Won't you save me from him?_

_But don't stop writing to me, k? I wanna meet again real soon, so have your daddy need to meet my daddy for something. Ill try do the same. Ok? I have to go now. Bye. Don't forget to write me another letter!_

_Your Maybe Girlfriend_

_Rinoa_

* * *

Rinoa was busy digging through a pile of clothes that was littered about Squall's room as she prepared to pack up and move into her new residence at this garden. It was amazing how much clothing could get muddled up after spending just one night there.

That's right…it was HIS room wasn't it. It was the room of the boy she had met so many years ago. It was the room of the boy who had become her first and only real crush. More scarily so, it was the room of the boy she was told had died just a mere couple of years after they had met.

And yet he was alive…very much so. Just this past evening he was sleeping only a few yards away from her on the couch as she made this sudden realization as to who he really was. He must have known who she really was this entire time.

Or did he? Maybe that's why he decided to help her. She had given him her real first name, and maybe it reminded him of the girl he met as a child. Was that why he was willing to go to such great lengths in order to protect her and keep her here with him? Did he really think so much of the time they had together back then when most of their relationship occurred through mail?

Yet he still could have come to the same realization that she did. Even though the last name was different, she knew who Squall truly was. But then why toy with her throughout this whole experience? Why not just come out with the truth? What was the point in playing along with all these false pretenses?

Rinoa only knew one thing for certain. Two could play it that way. If he wanted to pretend to be naïve in all these matters, than she would try and give him a taste of his own medicine.

But before any of that could happen, she had to get packed and out of here. Squall would be back soon enough to show her where her new temporary quarters would be. It would be a sad move. Squall and his true motives would be much harder to understand if she was forced away from him like this.

Forced away? She really had fallen in love with the same boy twice. Knowingly or not, Squall had done the same with her.

Regardless of the case, she would still need to find ways to tease Squall about what was going on. She was a woman after all and thus had more than enough in her arsenal to make him nervous. Perhaps she could try and seduce the answer out of him again. That plan was kind of working before…right?

From outside the room, Rinoa heard the dorm apartment open signaling his return. It was time to act. She quickly unbuttoned her shirt and tore it off leaving just her bra on. She then disheveled her hair to give it a slightly messy look. Pleased with her current appearance, Rinoa knew she would stop Squall dead in his tracks. All she needed was an excuse to head out. Something that would make Squall deathly uncomfortable. Aha! There was one thing.

She exited his room and kept her eyes on the floor as if searching for something. "Hey Squall, have you seen my other underwe-" Her voice stopped deadpanned as she glanced up for just a moment. It wasn't Squall standing there in front of her. It was his mother.

* * *

Squall was slowly walking back towards his dorm with a new keycard in hand. Luckily he had been able to procure the dorm down the hall by 'convincing' its inhabitants that they desperately wanted to move to the other side of the Garden. It was good to be strong.

His movements were untimely and sluggish as he almost dawdled back to his room. True, he understood Rinoa would probably take quite some time packing and preparing to move into her new dorm as women tended to do, but he moved slowly for an entirely different reason. Something, or rather someone had woken and kept him up last night after he had tried to get some sleep.

He knew she had been standing above him last night after quickly tucking him in. Squall never opened his eyes or made any sudden movements, but he could sense her presence there. Something had happened that bothered her. Something had woken her up from her sleep and created a strong desire within her to see him again.

Because after she had tucked him there and watched him for a few moments, what she did next surprised Squall. She leaned down and kissed him softly.

That was what he needed to see how genuine her feelings for him truly where. The passionate display they had shared earlier had led Squall to think as much. Such fire and intensity would be hard to fake yet a little bit of doubt did continue to linger within his mind. However when she met him with such a pure and innocent gesture, he no longer had any worry for that cause.

That fact did bring one thing to light. Squall would have to start being more honest and open with her, and soon. He couldn't continue to toy with her trust like this now that he knew her affections, like his, were real. Maybe it was about time they revealed just what was happening all this time, that accidents were planned with more precision than anyone thought possible.

His mind froze however when he heard a bloodcurdling scream coming from his apartment. Only one person he knew could get that loud. Without hesitating for a moment longer he dashed back towards his dorm.

Squall burst into his room with his trusty gunblade drawn and ready to fight off any friend or foe that dared to give cause to that blood curdling scream. He knew Rinoa's voice. He knew her scream. What Squall didn't expect was that the cause was hardly an enemy that he could fight with his weapon.

He found his mom standing frozen in his room with a hand covering a gaping mouth while she stared intently at the door that led to his room. It didn't take him long to figure out just what must have happened. Could there ever be a more embarrassing position to be in right now?

"Mom!? What are you-" He was quickly cut off once his mother regained her senses as to where she was. Things didn't look good for the revered lion of Balamb.

"Oh don't you dare mom me!" With her hands now resting upon her hips, Raine approached her son with a scowl on her face and anger seething in her voice. "Squall! How dare you have that kind of relationship with a girl. And someone on your staff too!"

"But mom, I-" he should have known he wouldn't be able to get in a word when it came to his mother. She tended to be the more rational of his parents, but that also meant she was more likely to discipline him. If his father had walked in, he probably would have wanted to throw a party after giving him the dreaded 'talk'.

Raine rather boldly grabbed a hold of Squall's ear and led him out the door and into the hallway for the entire garden to see. That ought to teach her son a lesson or two about how to properly respect a woman. To think he had that kind of relationship with her so quickly! "We're going to give that young lady some time to get dressed. And in the meantime the two of us are going to have a serious talk!"

She continued yanking on his ear until they were standing in the middle of the hall just outside his room with the door leading to his dorm now completely shut. His mother finally let go of the death grip she had on her child and simply stood there waiting for him to explain. When no such explanation was offered, she tried to get the ball rolling.

"Squall…is it…is it her?" Her? Just how many girls were in his room?

Stunned by his mother's unusual question, he gazed upon her with a blank expression on his face. She couldn't possibly mean what he thought she was meant. It was impossible for his mom to know just who Rinoa really was, right?

"Squall Leonhart. You answer me this instant. That's her isn't it?" But of course children will never realize that their moms are and always be infinitely smarter than them.

"Mom, what are you-" Naturally it didn't help that mothers were both woman and parents. That made it doubly hard for their sons to understand them.

"SQUALL! It's her. Its Caraway's daughter!" The lack of surprise from her son confirmed what she already suspected "But you know that already, don't you?"

"I was going to tell you mom." Squall gazed down at the floor and turned his back towards his mom. The irony was now he faced the very door that separated him from the girl he fell in love with twice. "But I haven't even told her that I know who she is."

"Squall, who knows about this?" Raine was assured of one thing right now. No matter how much her son wanted to deny it, he was just like his father in some ways. How else could he have landed himself in such a hopelessly complicated and delicate situation. What was he thinking? This was practically kidnapping! Wars could break out over this. Years of piece gone for…for love!? Was it worth it?

Yet somehow they both knew that when it came to true love, it always was.

"Just us…" That didn't sound like her Squall. He was also so definite in his answers. He was hiding something from her.

"And…" Was her son too old to receive a spanking?

"General Caraway…" Apparently not.

"Squall! Are you telling me that you told the General of the Galbadian army that you are holding his daughter in a military installation on foreign soil!? How could you possibly-" Raine's mind was racing as she constantly tried to tell herself that killing her son wouldn't solve anything. That she would regret the decision later. Hm, if only she remembered to listen to her own advice.

"If I went missing, wouldn't you want to know where I was? Wouldn't it kill you if Ellone went missing without as much as a word? I owed the General. He let me write her. I owed him, mom." It was a heartfelt childlike plea coming from one who had grown through the years. There was no rational reason for Squall to do what he did or to even think his logic was justified. But the emotions behind his words were enough. He had once again proved himself a man.

"Squall, I understand what you mean but-" Nevertheless, his actions will have consequences.

"Are you two still talking about me?" The two frightened Leonharts looked around in various directions looking for the source of the voice. It was certainly Rinoa's but she was no where in sight. What was going on? She couldn't possibly have overheard everything that was just said. That would be disasters.

"Doors aren't as thick as they used to be. Lemme guess, cost cutting efforts in garden?"

It was then the stunning realization hit the two wayward Leonharts. Rinoa could hear everything they had just said as she was leaning against the door.

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Hope you guys dont think that was too horrible. Im trying my best. Not sure when i can update again. I will work on it. Hope you enjoyed it and dont forget to review. Until next time, take care. 


	10. Never Alone

AN:L A quick update because a friend asked...or demanded rather to know what happened next. This chapter was supposed to have like 5 scenes but the scnes i was working on went on longer than i thought. The events below happen two years (about) after chapter 8. Hope you guys like it.

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Dear Rin— (smudge)

It's almost time for the ball again. I was kind of wondering if you wanted to attend this year. We haven't met for such a long time. My dad is actually surprised that I'm not mad he is making me go. I told him I had a special reason. He thought I was nuts.

I really hope you come though. I...well I miss you ok? It's not fair. We're friends. How come we can't see each other more? Besides, I really need to talk to you. There's a…a secret I want to tell you. One that even my parents don't know. Especially my parents. But I want to tell you. In person. You have to come. Promise? I'll even dance again. I've been practicing with my sister.

I think she knows that I…well...you know…like you and stuff. She promised not to say anything to mom or dad. ESPECIALLY dad. Ellone did say I was getting better, so if you come…maybe we can dance again? And then talk again on the balcony? And then after that we could maybe…never mind.

Just, please be there ok? I'll sneak down to Galbadia all by myself otherwise if I have to. Just…come.

Your boyfriend

Squall Loire

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It was the same old pattern that happened just like last year and the year before that. Apparently no one even bothered to update the decorations of this magically created room as nothing seemed to change. Or maybe they did that because none of the officials who attended these gatherings ever seemed to remember the small little things like that.

A young Squall Lorie however, has etched every detail from this 'party' into his mind because it was here and only here did he meet the one special person he had no problem telling his secrets too.

He remembered every moment from the intoxicating use of colors to the mesh of tapestries that hung across the ballroom. He remembered every year where they displayed the food, where the waiters used to go on break, where people from the various different parties sat, and most especially where Rinoa used to enter with her parents.

It was tough being a boy on the verge of young adulthood. Especially when one was granted with such a princely status. The whole world had expectations and guidelines laid out for him as if he had no choice in the matter, which in most cases was just plain true. But when it came to Rinoa, things were different.

She didn't want him to be Squall Loire, son of the president of Esthar. She didn't want him to be the future heir of a country that used to be at war with her own. All she wanted from Squall was for him to act the way he wanted. And if that meant at times he would become shy with words and a little fidgety when she was around, then that was just fine with her.

But what she loved liked (children that age are too young too truly love) about Squall was that he accepted who she was. In fact, he adored who she was. Squall never asked her to be prim, proper and composed, even though most of the time he was. He saw her wild nature and fanned the fire and passion that burned within her. He wanted Rinoa, to just be more like Rinoa.

So Squall waited like he did the last few times for her at these ballroom gatherings. He leaned up against a pillar with his eyes focused intently on the floor, with a beverage in his hand. He didn't have to glance up every few moments to look for Rinoa when she finally made it. That would have driven him insane with anticipation. All he had to do was to try and play it cool. That's what girls liked right?

No matter. It still didn't stop him from being vulnerable from fear that she might not get his letter after all. If she couldn't make it…

"Dance with me?" Squall's troubled eyes quickly shot up and glanced into Rinoa's gorgeous puppy dog brown eyes accented with a little smile.

She looked absolutely amazing in her light blue dress. Tonight more than ever she really did look like a princess. All she was missing was the conical hat with a scarf tied to the top and the image would be complete.

"I…uh…" Squall, you promised. More importantly, you practiced. You have to dance with her. "I…would…." Come on you dimwit!? What happened to acting cool, calm, and collected "I err…."

"Great!" with a chirp and a smile Rinoa grabbed his hand and pulled her towards him as they made their way onto the dance floor. He was so shocked by the sudden movements he never realized the drink slip out of his hand and into the uniform of a nearby passing waiter who nearly stumbled from the newfound…wetness of his situation.

Rinoa bravely led her 'boyfriend' through the crowds in the ballroom floor until she found a spot right in the middle for the whole world to see. This is where she felt Squall needed to be. This is what Squall was missing from his home life and pined for constantly. This is what he got whenever he was with Rinoa. For just one more time, Squall finally got to be the center of attention.

This time Squall didn't need to be guided on what to do next. Without fear of the consequences, he rather bravely put his hand around Rinoa's waist and held her free hand within his own. All that he needed now was coordination. Dancing with his adopted sister was one thing. He didn't have a crush on her. Rinoa was…well Rinoa was just special.

'_Don't count. Just pay attention to the girl. Don't count. Just pay attention to the girl. Don't…1 2 3, 1 2 3, 1 2 3-'_

"Squall are you counting again?" Rinoa could always tell what was running through Squall's mind. An amazing feet considering they could only talk to each other via letters before. It was even easier in person though. You could read Squall's thoughts just by looking deeply into his eyes as if someone left all his secrets unlocked there. Or maybe it was because Rinoa was the one with the key to those secrets within her.

"Yeah….sorry." Damnit, don't clam up now. You have been waiting weeks to see her. Say something to make her feel special!

"I'm…glad you came." Atta boy! Looks like we don't need to order you that new backbone after all.

"Course….I'm your Rin!" If it was possible to walk on clouds, Squall would have been soaring right now. For once a thunderous young mind was unusually calm and receptive to what other people had to say. Wait a minute….Rin? Was that Galbadian for girlfriend or something?

"Rin?" Where did she get a nickname like Rin? More importantly who had given her a nickname like Rin? What where other people doing giving her a nickname? Never mind, looks like we will need that new backbone after all.

"Yeah Rin. That's what you called me in your letter remember." Shoot. Should Squall tell her that the ink simply smudged when he wrote her name down? No…that would be bad. She seemed to like the idea of being called Rin.

"Oh right…." That's right…just play along.

"Anyways…what did you want to talk to me about?" Squall was so lost within conversation with Rinoa that he failed to notice something. He was dancing, and well at that. They'd been at it for some time now and he hadn't stepped on anyone's feet or bumped into someone else yet. What was it about girls that made all your other problems in life just seem to disappear?

"Could we….go to the balcony?" He already began leading her there as she willingly followed his steps. Something was bothering him. Something he wanted to share with her and only her.

"Squall, do you just want to kiss me again?" She meant it as a joke really, but his response certainly wasn't.

"Yes" Wait, but that's not what he needed to talk to her about on the balcony. "I mean no. I mean I really do need to talk to you about stuff ok?"

"And then kissing?" Squall could feel his hands getting very sweaty. This was bad because they were still holding onto hers. He better make this fast otherwise he may pass out before he even really gets a chance to say anything to her. "Cause…I want to…if you want to…"

If Rinoa knew anything about boys, it was that they always always always wanted to. She certainly had to stop enough boys from trying back in Galbadia.

Squall just looked back at Rinoa with a smile plastered on his face. Turns out Rinoa does know a little something about boys after all. But none of this hid the fact that there was something bothering Squall this very moment. Something that might involve her.

Once they were safely standing outside on the balcony, away from any ears that might try to overhear their conversation did Squall truly feel relaxed again. He made his way over to the balcony railing and leaned against it as Rinoa shyly looked at him waiting for him to clear his mind of whatever thoughts he was occupied by.

"Rin I…" He already liked the sound of that name. "I might be going away for a while.'

This already didn't sound good. The two were far away enough from each other as it was. Why did he have to put even more distance between them? "Oh" Rinoa's saddened expression glared towards the floor as she felt a sudden need to clasp her hands together. "Where are you going?"

"I don't…I don't know." It was then she looked up at Squall with a look of total confusion upon her face at that answer. "Rin I have to run away. I can't stay home anymore. I have to get away, at least for a little while."

Astonished at this news Rinoa took a few steps towards Squall and took his hands within her soft gentle ones. The outline of tears could be seen in her eyes as she heard the news her boyfriend gave. If he ran away, there would be no letters. If there were no letters, Rinoa would be alone again. If Rinoa was alone, that meant Squall was alone. She didn't want Squall to be alone anymore. He didn't deserve it. Every little boy needs some attention. "But…but why..?"

"Things are….things are going to get bad, fast." You can't tell her about that meeting Squall. You can't tell her that you've overheard things you shouldn't. Don't worry her too much Squall. Learn to be strong. Become strong. "I can't explain but, if I stay we might never get to be friends anymore. If I go…there is a chance. That's all I can say."

Overhearing that secret midnight meeting was both a blessing a course. A blessing because had he not found out what he did, his friendship with Rinoa would be forever lost. But a curse because now knowing what he did, he had to disappear, at least for a little while.

"But then you'll be all alone….I won't be able to talk to you…. You can't go. You just can't go! I thought you liked me and that you were my friend!" Little drops of sadness descended from her crying eyes as she began to weep more openly now. This was hardly the news she was expecting after reading his letter those few weeks back. This wasn't what she wanted to hear.

"I do like you and I want to be your boyfriend" It's that very same feeling that compelled Squall to leave. "But I have to go. I have to hide for a little while Rin. I'll find you though. Someday. I promise I will. Ok?'

Rinoa fell forward and unashamedly hugged Squall with all the strength that could be found within her tiny little body. She wiped the tears from her eyes and onto his clothing as she sniffled every few moments. "I don't care so much about that. You'll be alone. Scared. I know you Squall. You'll need me. I know it. You just can't go." Rinoa wasn't about to lose her only true friend without a fight. If it took guilt to make him stay, then guilt him she would.

"I'll be fine. I can…I can take care of myself ok?" Squall didn't want to look at her face when she was crying. He got to see it so little as it was, he didn't want to be one of his last memories of her shimmering face to be of her crying.

"You'll still need me. You might forget me you know..." Rinoa was forgotten about enough by her dad. She couldn't take it if Squall forgot about her too.

"I promise I'll never forget about you. Never." Rinoa's sniffling suddenly stopped at the heartfelt proclamation given to her by the bug whose arms were wrapped around her. She looked up with little sparkles in her expression with a hopeful sound to her voice. "Really?"

"Really"

"Squall I…I want to give you something. I bought you this cause, it reminded me of you." From seemingly out of no where Rinoa revealed a ring from a pocket that must have been hidden somewhere within her dress. She kept it in her palm and held it out for Squall to take from her. It was a strange looking ring, the kind a guy would actually wear. It had the features of a lion carved into it.

"The guy at the store said it was called Griever. He said it stood for great courage and strength." Rinoa continued to look up at him with a little bit of a smile curling upon her lips. His answer now was all that mattered.

"I love it." For such a rare moment, a rare event had to occur. Squall smiled. Not a cheeky half grin or one that he tried to fight back down. This was a full fledged smile. One that was only for Rinoa.

And for this effort, he was rewarded with a not so quick kiss as Rinoa stood upon her very tippy toes so that her lips could momentarily meet with Squalls. They smashed together at first but then became more accustomed to a gentle touch. It was soft and innocent, just like how life should have been for these two.

When their moments connected ended and they released one another from their hold, both had a blushing smile upon their faces. Rinoa had to fight the urge to bury her face deep within her hands at her own boldness. But now wasn't the time to feel that way. Squall would be leaving and she wanted to spend every moment she could looking at him, staying with him.

"Squall, you really promise you will find me? Or keep trying to talk to me…I don't want to be alone forever…" Squall was after all, the bestest friend she had ever had. Bestest was a title reserved for that special best friend who could never be replaced, no matter how hard you looked.

"I promise."

"Squall, if you don't, I'll come looking for you. I mean it. I'll run away from home too and I'll find you Squall. I don't want you to be alone either." Squall smiled at the gesture Rinoa was making. In his mind he knew she spoke the truth. She wasn't the type to just let her important people slip away from her.

"I won't be alone Rinoa." He looked down at the ring she had given just moments before. "I'll have Griever with me. And that means….you'll always be with me too."

And so they were always with each other, at least for the rest of that evening. But even that night eventually had to come to an end and the two bestest friends had to part ways once more for the last time in a long time.

Because just a week later news would be hushed around Esthar as their leader's son seemed to have vanished into thin air, never to be seen or heard from again with no clue as to who was the abductor.

Then a few months after that, a secret war erupted as the faces of two nations would hide the inner conflict and battle that would take place, but none would see.

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You guys know the drill. Reading first, reviewing once you're done. :-) 


	11. Revelations

AN: Sorry. I know its been a while. Like just about every author on this site, ive been busy. Thanks to all those who continue to read and review. Hopefully this chapter will answer a few more questions.

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"You bit me!" Squall quickly brought his hand to his ear as a little drop of blood trickled down.

"Yeah well you tricked me!" shrieked Rinoa. She stepped a few feet back away from Squall now that he had a scowl upon his face.

"You bit me in the friggin ear!" The action happened so quick he wasn't even able to defend himself.

Rinoa had finally managed to sneak Squall away for a moment to have a word with him regarding the information she had overheard. As it was she had extreme misgivings about everything that had happened in the past few moments. But finally Squall's mother took her leave claiming she had a friend whom she needed to call right away. That provided much needed private space.

Just a few moments after bringing Squall back into his own room, did she pounce on him in a blind fury mad at the deception that had been veiled over her. There wasn't much an unarmed woman like herself could do to a trained veteran soldier like Squall, so she resorted to the only measure that was left available to her. She bit him. In the ear as Squall had noted.

He immediately pulled her off of him the second he regained of his senses of what was happening and pulled himself back up to a vertical base. Life was confusing enough without girls running around biting people. What was she, 12?

"Squall….you LIED to me!" She angrily crossed her arms together while huffing making her face momentarily resembled a puffer fish.

"Rin I never…"

He was about to deny having spoken mistruths to her. He was about to lie right through his teeth and to her face. Well there was no way Rinoa was going to take any of that from him. He had put her through enough.

Hadn't she suffered enough days crying home alone when she was younger? Wasn't the never ending moments of heart-wrenching pain of a near abandoned twelve year old girl punishment enough for any of the misdeeds she had done in a previous life?

Why? Why then was she condemned to constantly be faced with moments with brief yet fleeting moments of happiness only to allow bad news to follow? Surely she was allowed to have some joy in her life.

But no, instead she remembered all those times when she wished she had a friend like Squall there to comfort her, to hold her, to be a friend to her when she had no one else she could really turn to.

All those nights when both her parents were forced away to work and she had just herself to talk to, that's when she needed him most. All those nights when the thunder clapped a little bit too loudly and she had no one to turn to, that's when she needed him. Every time she would enjoy the company of what few friends she had and they would bring along their significant others, that's when she missed him most of all. Because all these years he was never far from her thoughts.

Had she wasted her tears wondering if he was alive? Many a nightmare had come to rob her from any hope of a peaceful sleep as she wondered if whatever terror that drove Squall away from his home and finally caught up with him. Still despite this, she could not forget him.

How could she? If she forgot him, then who would pay attention for him? Who would show him that there was someone in the world who believed he mattered, that he should be the center of attention if even just for a few moments. The truth was he needed her. Maybe he forgot and just needed a reminder. Or maybe those tears she had shed as a teenager was just wasted emotions upon someone who didn't treat her like the special girl he knew her to be.

No. It was time to take charge. Before he could deny her accusations again he would have to put a stop to his words. So for the second time today, she did the only thing she could. One more time she was able to take him by surprise and tackle him down to the floor.

She straddled her legs on either side of his torso as she glared down upon him with the fire burning in her eyes. Just let him try and talk his way out of this. There was no way she would let him deny having lied and tricked her.

"I found you. I didn't lie." Squall didn't need to say that he too never forgot about her. She was the reason he had to undergo the hardships that he had encountered. What else could drive him to really run away from home? How else would the burning desire for power and to become stronger burn brightly within him and drive him to reach levels strength previously thought unobtainable. It was all for Rinoa, whether she realized it or not.

She looked down upon him with soft brown eyes that were widened in shock by hearing him recall a promise he had made nearly a decade ago. He really did remember that much? But wait, he said he didn't lie and found her. Didn't things happen the other way around? Wasn't she the one who found him, however accidental that it was?

"Squall, I know I'm the one who-"

"Wonder why your organization was able to escape right before the Galbadians came? Wonder why a lone officer was sent to bring back a battalion of trainees and professors? Or why you were able to come back to a secure military installation without anyone really checking your story? I remembered Rinoa. And I kept my word to…Rin."

Could it all have been true? Was Squall really the reason why she and what few members remained were able to escape from that last minute raid?

Rinoa remembered that night all to well. Never before had she truly felt that her death was almost immanent. Her faction had been gathered in a warehouse finalizing plans to assassinate a critical leader the Galbadian military, one who had championed the cause for this meaningless war.

Naturally it was held in secret in a remote part of the city. These freedom fighters had long been masking their trails from the authorities to get their work done, but something different had happened today. A phone call had alerted them of the impending arrival of the authorities. It was a cryptic voice, one Rinoa felt familiar but there was no time to dwell on such meaningless thoughts. Instead she quickly hung up the phone and motioned for her groups to disband and all evidence of their existence in this hideout to be destroyed.

Unfortunately their guardian angel had made a mistake. It only took the authorities several minutes to slam down the doors with guns blazing and a pure intent to kill held fresh within their minds.

Many had died that night. Most in protecting her, their 'princess' and leader of the rebellion from harm. Often brutal force was not used upon them because of her former status with the Galbadians, but it seemed none of the officers firing at them then had been aware she was there. Or maybe they had been.

Rinoa was given the opportunity to escape and flee from Galbadia and make her way towards Dollet. In just a few days she had fallen from the good grace and title of Princess to the smudged life of a 'terrorist'. Who knew the army would pursue her all the way to the small city of Dollet. Who knew that of all the people in the world she would run into...

"Squall…just what are you saying?"

"That I never….never forgot about you."

With a sly smile upon her face she looked upon him accusingly. "And what do you really know about me?" A valid question has been raised. Hasn't much of their relationship since reuniting been a little too shallow? What about their likes? Their dislikes? Sure there were everlasting feelings from their childhood, but what about the present?

Is there still something now that they have had to spend so much time apart from one another?

"Who am I to you Squall?" The real question she wanted to ask was 'What am I to you?' but her confidence was lacking in that regard. Did she really want to hear him answer? What was she hoping he would say? What if Squall called her his girlfriend? What if he didn't? Wasn't it possible he saw her as a weak little girl that got herself into trouble and needed protecting? Though she had lingering feelings for the boy, she wasn't the same little girl that he remembered. At least she hoped he understood this much. "Do you have any idea who I am?"

Rinoa secretly hoped Squall housed similar questions within him, however her desires were squashed when she saw a smirk upon his face. "To me you are Rinoa Heartily. No more, no less."

If that was all he was going to provide for an answer, he was going to show her she wasn't that stupid. That was hardly an response. What did it mean anyways!?

"And to me, Rinoa Heartily is…" Oh ok, he was just collecting his thoughts. Squall has redeemed himself for now. "… a girl who never stood for any injustice. Someone who wanted to change the world and never listened to people when they said she couldn't do something. Rinoa Heartily is more than just a spoiled little princess. She's kind and courageous." He didn't add extremely gorgeous. Saying he found her beauty to rival that of a summer nymph might shallow the moment, no matter how true the mercenary knew it to be.

"And most importantly." This time Squall slowly brought up his hand to caress the side of her face gently as he allowed for a dramatic pause to set in. "The only one who ever made me feel special." Rinoa's eyes softened as she allowed her cheek to lean in on the hand that was caressing it. It felt so good to have someone see her in such a unique way. More to the point, it felt good for _him_ to see her like that. For years she had dreamed of reuniting with the boy who had stolen her heart several years ago. Now she finally had her opportunity. However if this was going to happen…for good this time…things had to be done right. They'd have to take things slow and truly appreciate the other person for all they are. That means…

"But the truth is I still don't know everything about you." Oops, he still hadn't stopped with the talking. Rinoa almost wondered how he could switch from being a semi-mute to such a verbose person. Perhaps it was her continued presence with him that brought about such change. "I want to learn all those little things about you. Your likes…your dislikes, your favorite color…"

"Squall, just…just shut-up for a minute." Rinoa pulled herself off of Squall and stood a few feet away with her back towards him so he too could stand up upon both legs. The brunette swordfighter was stunned by this sudden outburst. He knew there was a chance she would be angry with him, but had hoped against hyne that there was still room enough in her heart for him. Perhaps not. Perhaps he has lost out to the twelve-year old version of Squall that was forever embedded there.

Rinoa grabbed his jacket roughly by the color and brought herself closer towards him. Then, just like when they younger at the last ballroom gala that they had met, she stood upon her very tippy toes and invigorated Squall with a kiss to unseal her emotions. It was a bold move on her part, but there had been enough talking for one meeting. Her brown eyes quickly caught hold of the bite mark on her ears giving her a rather amusing idea. She placed a trail of kisses along his neck until her lips wrapped themselves around his earlobe and playfully licked it and sucked away the trickling blood.

While most of Squall's body and mind froze at the rather intimate gesture, one specific portion had decided to stand up at attention. Hey, you can't help a guy's natural reactions.

Rinoa finally released Squall from her holds and looked back deeply into the stormy blue eyes that forever stayed with her. "I'm sorry for biting you…"

"…." Think Squall was lucky? Rinoa could be more devilish than anyone previously thought. First she brought him to the point of extreme arousal so his hormones would go blasting…then...

"And I want to know you to Squall. But if you really mean what you said, we are going to take things slow. And that means…."

Oh crap…don't say it….anything but that…..Squall knew what she was going to say and was suddenly rethinking this whole relationship thing. Maybe this was all a very bad idea. Actually it definitely is an extremely bad idea.

"You have got to ask me out on a date."

NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rinoa had a beaming smile upon her face as she exited Squall's room. Come what may they were going to rebuild their relationship from the ground up.

No more lies. No more deception. Soon everything about their pasts will be revealed.

Just when he thought her little escapades had ended, she peeked her head back in the door to relay one last message to Squall.

"Oh and Squall, if you do a good job, there might be kissing later." She remembered how much he liked kissing as an adolescent….

All Squall knew is he suddenly didn't think a date was such a bad idea.

* * *

In another area of Balamb garden, a harried voice was quickly jabbering over the phone as an overly excited mother could barely contain her emotions.

"They found each other! Julia, my god, they found each other!"

"Raine? What are you talking about? Do you have any idea what time it is over here?"

"Julia, its Squall, he found her. He really found her!"

Though Raine could not see it, she could imagine the face her longtime friend would be making. It would be natural for any mother to respond in kind when learning that someone knew the location of her daughter. "Rinoa, you mean she's-"

"With Squall!" It took what little remnants of sanity she had left to keep herself from jumping up and down while on the phone. Her boy was in love….L.O.V.E. love.

Any parent could easily tell as much.

"But…but how…when…where. Raine, what is going on over there? I am heading over."

"Yes! Come here now! There is too much to discuss on the phone."

"I'm coming I'm coming. Ill take the first ride I can find there. And Raine?"

"Yes Julia?"

"Calm down."

Julia Caraway hung up the phone and rolled over in her bed and tried to force herself to sleep, but how could she? She had just learned that her daughter was indeed still alive and with the boy she had been obsessed with as a child. Wait…was this a good thing…?

Only time will tell.

Perhaps it is this frenzied state of mind that prevented her from realizing her husband had made a random trip to Balamb just a few days back. It never occurred to her that General Caraway had already learned of what she had just found out.

* * *

Yeah i know. It was terrible. It was the best i could do at the moment. Im feeling a little spent. Hopefully you managed to derive some kind of enjoyment out of it. As always review if you like. Until next time, take care. 


	12. Fairy Tale

AN: Wow. It sure has been a while. Funny how this fiction was started just as a random story with no point to it. Now its a really random story with a semblance of a point. Amazing. Well. This chapter should answer some questions. Again...remember to put quality aside. I have had little patient for review as of late.

* * *

It was almost a nightmare come to life for poor Squall. To put it bluntly, he didn't do 'dates'. It wasn't in the Garden Commander guidelines.

But it was in the 'man in love' guidelines and for that alone he would go along with this little game he was playing.

That didn't stop the whole process from feeling incredibly stupid to him though. Here he was, it was only early evening and he was already on his third shower of the day. Though he had done so in the morning and never minded a little bit of stubble, he found himself shaving yet again. He utterly despised the substance yet he found himself using some sort of goop to keep his hair in place and looking…'styled'.

If there truly was a hell on earth, Squall was living it.

He pulled two pieces of clothing that were buried away in his closet and found them just suitable enough to wear for the night. He doubted Rin would appreciate him greeting her wearing the same basic attire he was long accustomed to.

The things that raced through ones mind during this brutal moment was ridiculous. Few would realize the pains a guy goes through to impress the girl he intends to romance.

Should he wear a tie? Would it be too much? Too little? Was she going to appear in a ballroom gown or in casual clothing? Did red always go with blue? What about gold? What the hell was the new black? If there was a new black…what happened to the old black?

A million thoughts that Squall never before in his life considered remotely important were now invading his thoughts as his body underwent the automatic process of dressing himself for the upcoming date.

His mind was so preoccupied that his senses and reflexes never alerted him to the intruder that had already made entry into his room and guided itself towards the living area. Squall was frazzled and now anyone could take advantage of it…anyone at all.

Still trying to keep a clear head about him, Squall nearly stumbled into the living room only to shoot his head up in surprise when he realized he was not alone. The weapon he would need to defend himself was regrettably out of reach with no chance for him to race back towards it. He was a mere cornered rabbit to a rabid fox that had gone hungry for days

There was only one thing he could say.

"General…"

Almost immediately a gunshot went off that left a mark on the wall behind Squall, mere inches from his head as the smoking barrel from the gun gave no sign of relenting. Another shot went off that forced Squall to swan dive behind the couch and in frantic search for a weapon.

Truthfully he had more than enough at his own disposal to easily find his way out of this situation, yet there was just one problem. He was Rinoa's father after all. No matter how much she may despise the General at times, he hardly thought Rin would take it very well if she found out he attacked her father like that.

"She is my daughter!"

A few more shots made short work of the sofa that served as a bed to Squall those nights ago.

"I know that! That's why I called you!" A few more shots that began decimating the wall behind showed just how much that call was appreciated. But one thing was now apparent. Squall had counted it. The General was now out of ammo.

"Did you touch her!?" He tried to shoot again but it only resulted in an empty click. Squall came out of his hiding spot, growing angrier by the intrusion with every passing moment. His eyes were now a screaming blue, similar to the very night he had saved Rinoa. It was a curse rarely brought about of his own accord…but there were moments when even his own control was momentarily weakened.

Luckily today was just a minor slip.

What was standing before the General now was not something most would consider human. It held a chaotic presence that pressed down all living things with an unholy amount of fear. It was the aura of a troubled man, with an inner essence released. That was the only reason why a man who had caused so much carnage was now…afraid. His voice almost shook as much as his hands while he attempted speech.

"Is this….is this what they did to you? This is the result of those experiments!?" The General's voice was quite sullen now as the brashness of his foolishness had fully set in. This wasn't the first time he had encountered someone with the power to unleash such ungodly eyes.

Neither a word nor acknowledgment came from the Commander standing before him. Squall just continued to stare on with a stone expressionless face.

"No" The wind continued to crash around him as the power that struggled to escape from the warrior was being contained. "This is what always resided in me. This is what they tried to seal."

With that last sentence his power was now visibly reclining back into his body as his eyes returned to a familiar stormy blue. "What they were trying to seal up in your daughter, but I surrendered myself instead."

The General stumbled backwards towards a chair in the back as he slumped over it. His glance fell towards the floor as his body was covered with sweat from the heat of the moment.

"Those years you ran away and went missing?"

"I was never lost. I did it on purpose. I had to."

It was then Rinoa peered around his door and revealed that she had been witness to the events that had occurred between her father and her Squall.

"Dad…out…now." It was the voice that had brought her from a spoiled little brat to the leader of a rebellion. Why Squall continued to be unwary of her presence was a mystery for them all, especially given his special circumstances.

"Rinoa…I" The General stumbled around his words looking for an explanation for things to come.

"Out…NOW!" He picked himself up from the chair and moved towards the door and past the daughter he had missed and longed for without as much as a word of apology or reason. Amazing how she was so easily able to dismiss the man that had been hunting her down for so long without any worries crossing her mind. "Mom's here. She's waiting in the quad for you. I'd be ready."

It was now the General was truly afraid of the events that were about to unfold before him. He was commander of the entire Galbadian warmachine and yet this sent him cowering in his boots like no other threat he had ever encountered. Julia was ticked.

Squall merely stared upon the scene with that constant scowl on his face as he knew what had happened. Rin had once again overheard too much. She had been told too much to soon for her own good. Could she understand it and still maintain control?

"Squall…" Rin's foot was tapping repeatedly against the floor. This was bad. Very bad indeed. "You have some serious explaining to do, and it better be good because this wasn't how I imagined our first date you….you meany!"

"Rin I don't think your ready to--"

"I'LL TELL YOU WHEN IM READY! I spent that last four hours picking out the right dress, getting my hair done…and trying to find the god damn right shoes!" Rinoa inched closer and closer towards Squall with each complaint that came out of her mouth. She started poking him repeatedly now feeling that would get her point across better than before. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to find the right pair of shoes!? Are you aware of how many shades of black there are??? ARE YOU!?"

Squall stumbled backwards unto the remains of his sofa and flipped backwards over it in an attempt to keep a safe distance away.

She remained standing there huffing away at his inconsiderate timing and response to events that were passing away just now. It was her time to glare at Squall with her angry pouty face. That would show him.

"Rin?"

"What!?"

"You look good." She was dressed very eye-catchingly in a slinky black number that went down to a few inches short of her knees. Her hair was obviously very well done and required the assistance of at least one other person and…oddly enough…her shoes seemed to match. Who knew hair and shoes could actually go together?

"You still have to tell me what is going on. Everything. Now." She was hiding back the jumping around for joy she so desired to do just now. Her effort wasn't lost in vain so long as Squall noticed the work she put into it.

"I will. Now sit" Yes he managed to hold onto his backbone and stand up to her bossy demeanor. He pointed her towards the last remaining chair in his apartment and slowly and cautiously walked his way over.

"Seriously Squall. Everything. I heard you and my father. Going missing, experiments…that weird thing you can do. What the hell is going on? Why do I feel like you are leaving me out of the loop like this?"

Squall kneeled down next to her and took her hand within his. "Because I have been."

Her world was momentarily shattered as she took in the words he spoke. He had been purposefully been hiding the truth and events from her. She had to remember that everything he seemed to do, it was all for her. She would listen to his reasons, show him compassion when he deserved it, laugh with him and cry with him through the tale…and then kill him.

"Rinoa, this is going to sound insane…but I want you to just listen to me, ok?"

She nodded her head meekly not willing to joke around in her head anymore. Rinoa heard that underlying seriousness in his tone. What he was about to say was undoubtedly the unaltered truth.

"Those years ago, before I disappeared. It wasn't me they were originally after. It was you." He looked her straight in the eyes as he spoke, unwavering in his resolve to reveal to her the truth.

"Squall why would they want me?" Then it dawned on her. "Because I was the General's daughter? But there are guards and an entire army to-"

"No Rin, it's because you are a sorceress."

Dead silence followed as Rin awaited for Squall to come out and say 'gotcha!'

"And I'm your knight." Yeah…right. A world full of knights and sorceresses. Sure, all they were missing were a bunch of hafflings and walking talking trees to turn this fantasy into outright absurdity.

"Squall don't be ridiculous. We can't be….those were just old legends no one but children believe in anymore."

Squall actually smiled a little. "We were kids back then. It was real to us. It IS real to us."

"Squall…stop it..seriously…it's not funny."

But he wasn't Squall anymore. He was simply the knight now. She looked back up at him and saw his eyes turn that same cold blue shade that had rarely been brought about in him. Those same pupil less eyes that were now forever embedded into her memory.

That night so many days ago…it was terrifying how much power he was able to summon up from no where. The speed and ferocity with which he could attack was absurd but the ease with which he could kill was perhaps the most terrifying part of the experience.

Yet nothing in her body screamed fear. She just knew it should have been. A deep secret held within Rinoa saw this display and yearned for its familiarity and for its comfort. Maybe that's why she never asked him about it later. Why she was never afraid of what he was capable of doing. Nothing about Squall or this being within him made her fear for her safety.

Though now the longer he peered upon her with the gaze, the more her heart beat erratically, and the stronger she could feel a pull from deep down within her body. An entity, older than time itself was clamoring for escape once more. It desired the knight in a way that was so pure no amount of words could describe it.

Without understanding why, her arms automatically lifted up and began to slowly caress the face of the man with the solid blue eyes. Though think not that Rinoa was the only one feeling an intense pull for her mate. Squall's body immediately fell until the gentle holds she held for him.

It took his resilience and years of the 'experimentation' to pull back the power that was leaking out. His eyes returned to a normal pupiled stormy blue as the essence known as the knight was pulled back in. Rinoa froze when she found herself in such a compromising position as she was smothering Squall's face.

"Like I said….sorceress…knight."

"But what does this have to do with the…experiements..and getting taken away like that. How come no one came after me if they really wanted me? Squall….wh"

He sat down on the floor so he could look upon her now as he recalled this tale. "You remember in those stories…the sorceress always brought prosperity and peace to the land when she was awakened. That is until…her mate and knight … was killed…everytime. "

Rinoa watched him tell his tale with such detail…surprised at how much more he knew about this than her. Had she lived in a hole her whole life?

"The separation drove her spirit insane and many died as a result. Because of that an organization was formed. One that tracked down the containers. Once one was found and had their powers sealed, the other would be safe. Can you guess which one was easier to identify?"

"So they wanted to…"

"But I wasn't going to let them. I volunteered. I always knew what I was." The explanation sounded reasonable enough but something was wrong. When fighting a battle, you never take a peasant when you could capture the king. So why were they willing to seal the knight and let alone the sorceress?

As if Squall knew the question in her mind he started giving a reply. Then again…maybe he did really know what she was thinking. The powers a knight and sorceress had were never truly documented. "The sorceress was always a kind leader, very rarely needing her power to fight. Because the more potentially destructive of the two…throughout history, was always the knight."

Rin now knew of his sacrifice. Why he had done the things he had done and gave away a childhood to preserve her adulthood. "I surrounded so you wouldn't be taken."

"Rinoa…Rin….do you trust me?" Squall still had to know just this one last thing.

Knights and fairy tales. Conquests and secret organizations. A world of lies, power, and intrigue…

None of this mattered as she only knew one thing. Everything else was just detailed. "Squall…I love you."

"Then lets go on our date."

* * *

You know the drill. Leave a review, comment, question, etc

Until next time, take care.


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